{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_20549/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_20549","id":"gutenberg_20549","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20549","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Historical Novels","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Scandinavia -- History"],"text":"Produced by Chris Curnow and the Online Distributed\nProofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net\n\n\n\n\n\nTranscriber's note:  Ten minor typographical errors have been\n                     corrected in this text version.\n\n\n\n\n                             Edition d'Elite\n\n                            Historical Tales\n                         The Romance of Reality\n\n\n                                   By\n                              CHARLES MORRIS\n\n_Author of \"Half-Hours with the Best American Authors,\" \"Tales from the\n                            Dramatists,\" etc._\n\n\n                            IN FIFTEEN  VOLUMES\n\n                                 Volume IX\n\n\n                                Scandinavian\n\n\n                         J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY\n\n                          PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON\n\n\n\n\n               Copyright, 1908, by J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY.\n\n\n\n[Illustration: From Stereograph Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N.Y.\nOLD BRIDGE AT OEREBRO.]\n\n\n\n\n                         _CONTENTS_\n                                                        PAGE\n\nHOW KING ROLF WON HIS BRIDE                               9\n\nRAGNAR LODBROK AND HIS WIVES AND SONS                    19\n\nHAROLD FAIR-HAIRED FOUNDS THE KINGDOM OF NORWAY          31\n\nGORM THE OLD, DENMARK'S FIRST KING                       42\n\nERIK BLOOD-AXE AND EGIL THE ICELANDER                    49\n\nTHE SEA-KINGS AND THEIR DARING FEATS                     60\n\nHAAKON THE GOOD AND THE SONS OF GUNHILD                  69\n\nEARL HAAKON AND THE JOMSVIKINGS                          78\n\nHOW OLAF, THE SLAVE-BOY, WON THE THRONE                  89\n\nOLAF DETHRONES ODIN AND DIES A HERO                      98\n\nOLAF THE SAINT AND HIS WORK FOR CHRIST                  108\n\nCANUTE THE GREAT, KING OF SIX NATIONS                   121\n\nMAGNUS THE GOOD AND HAROLD HARDRULER                    132\n\nSVERRE, THE COOK'S SON, AND THE BIRCHLEGS               145\n\nTHE FRIENDS AND FOES OF A BOY PRINCE                    160\n\nKING VALDEMAR I. AND BISHOP ABSOLON                     169\n\nTHE FORTUNES AND MISFORTUNES OF VALDEMAR II             176\n\nBIRGER JARL AND THE CONQUEST OF FINLAND                 186\n\nTHE FIRST WAR BETWEEN SWEDEN AND RUSSIA                 196\n\nTHE CRIME AND PUNISHMENT OF KING BIRGER                 202\n\nQUEEN MARGARET AND THE CALMAR UNION                     211\n\nHOW SIR TORD FOUGHT FOR CHARLES OF SWEDEN               217\n\nSTEN STURE'S GREAT VICTORY OVER THE DANES               226\n\nHOW THE DITMARSHERS KEPT THEIR FREEDOM                  236\n\nTHE BLOOD-BATH OF STOCKHOLM                             241\n\nTHE ADVENTURES OF GUSTAVUS VASA                         252\n\nTHE FALL OF CHRISTIAN II. THE TYRANT                    271\n\nTHE WEST GOTHLAND INSURRECTION                          283\n\nTHE LOVE AFFAIRS OF KING ERIK                           296\n\nGUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS ON THE FIELD OF LEIPSIC               310\n\nCHARLES X. AND THE INVASION OF DENMARK                  319\n\nCHARLES XII. THE FIREBRAND OF SWEDEN                    326\n\nTHE ENGLISH INVADERS AND THE DANISH FLEET               343\n\nA FRENCH SOLDIER BECOMES KING OF SWEDEN AND NORWAY      349\n\nTHE DISMEMBERMENT OF DENMARK                            358\n\nBREAKING THE BOND BETWEEN NORWAY AND SWEDEN             362\n\n\n\n\n                     LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.\n\n\n                         SCANDINAVIAN.\n\n                                                        PAGE\n\nTHE OLD BRIDGE AT OEREBRO, ONE OF THE MOST\n    ANCIENT TOWNS OF SWEDEN.                   _Frontispiece._\n\nHOUSE OF PARLIAMENT, NORWAY                                35\n\nHOME OF PEASANTS, NORWAY                                   50\n\nBUSY FARMERS IN A HILLSIDE FIELD ABOVE ARE, SWEDEN         80\n\nA NORDFJORD BRIDE AND GROOM WITH GUESTS AND\n    PARENTS. BRIGSDAL, NORWAY                              95\n\nNORWEGIAN PEASANTS                                        115\n\nNORWEGIAN FARM BUILDINGS                                  135\n\nLINKOPING FROM TANNEFORS                                  165\n\nVILLAGE LIFE AND HOMES IN SWEDEN                          190\n\nMORNING GREETINGS OF NEIGHBORS, SWEDEN                    210\n\nGRIPSHOLM CASTLE, MARI                                    220\n\nSKURUSUND, STOCKHOLM                                      230\n\nSKANSEN RIVER                                             242\n\nTHE FAMOUS XVI. CENTURY CASTLE AT UPSALA, SWEDEN          256\n\nNORWEGIAN CARRIAGE CALLED STOLKJAEM                       285\n\nARMORY AND COSTUME HALL OF THE ROYAL MUSEUM, SWEDEN       300\n\nSTATUE OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS                               312\n\nTHE RETURN OF CHARLES XII. OF SWEDEN                      340\n\nKRONBERG CASTLE ON THE SOUND, DENMARK                     348\n\nTHE BOURSE, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK                           360\n\n\n\n\n_HOW KING ROLF WON HIS BRIDE._\n\n\nAt one time very many centuries ago, we cannot say just when, for this\nwas in the days of the early legends, there reigned over Upsala in Sweden\na king named Erik. He had no son and only one daughter, but this girl was\nworth a dozen sons and daughters of some kings. Torborg she was named,\nand there were few women so wise and beautiful and few men so strong and\nvaliant. She cared nothing for women's work, but was the equal of any man\nof the court in riding, fighting with sword and shield, and other\nathletic sports. This troubled King Erik very much, for he thought that\nthe princess should sit in her maiden chamber like other kings'\ndaughters; but she told him that when she came to succeed him on the\nthrone she would need to know how to defend her kingdom, and now was the\ntime for her to learn.\n\nThat she might become the better fitted to rule, she asked him to give\nher some province to govern, and this he did, making her queen of a third\nof his kingdom, and giving her an army of stout and bold warriors. Her\ncourt was held at Ulleraker in Upland, and here she would not let any one\ntreat her as a woman, dressing always in men's clothing and bidding her\nmen to call her King Torborg. To fail in this would be at risk of their\nheads. As her fame spread abroad, there were many who came to court her,\nfor she was at once very beautiful and the heiress of a great kingdom.\nBut she treated all such with laughter and contempt. It is even said that\nshe put out the eyes of some, and cut off the hands and feet of others,\nbut this we do not like to believe. At any rate, she drove away those who\ntroubled her too much with lance and spear. So it was plain that only a\nstrong and bold man could win this warlike maiden for his wife.\n\nAt that time King Goetrik who ruled in Gothland, a country in southern\nSweden, had sent his younger son Rolf to be brought up at the court of\nhis foster-brother King Ring of Denmark. His elder son Kettil he kept at\nhome, but did not love him much on account of his pride and obstinacy. So\nit happened that when Goetrik was very old and like to die, he decided\nthat Rolf, who was very tall and strong, and very fit and able, should\nsucceed him, though he was the younger son. All agreed to this, even\nKettil, so Rolf was sent for and made king of Gothland, which he ruled\nwith skill and valor.\n\nOne day Rolf and Kettil, who loved each other as brothers should, were\ntalking together, and Kettil said that one thing was wanting to the glory\nand honor of Rolf's rule, and that was a queen of noble birth and goodly\npresence.\n\n\"And whom have you in mind?\" asked Rolf.\n\n\"There is Torborg, the king of Upsala's daughter. If you can win her for\nwife it will be the greatest marriage in the north.\"\n\nTo this advice Rolf would not listen. He had heard of how the shrewish\nTorborg treated her suitors, and felt that wooing her would be like\ntaking a wild wolf by the ears. So he stayed unmarried for several years\nmore, though Kettil often spoke of the matter, and one day said to him\ncontemptuously:\n\n\"Many a man has a large body with little courage, and I fear you are such\na one; for though you stand as a man, you do not dare to speak to a\nwoman.\"\n\n\"I will show you that I am a man,\" said Rolf, very angry at these words.\n\nHe sent to Denmark for his foster-brother Ingiald, son of King Ring, and\nwhen he came the two set out with sixty armed men for the court of King\nErik in Upsala.\n\nOne morning, about this time, Queen Ingerd of Upsala awoke and told King\nErik of a strange dream she had dreamed. She had seen in her sleep a\ntroop of wolves running from Gothland towards Sweden, a great lion and a\nlittle bear leading them; but these, instead of being fierce and shaggy,\nwere smooth-haired and gentle.\n\n\"What do you think it means?\" asked the king.\n\n\"I think that the lion is the ghost of a king, and that the white bear is\nsome king's son, the wolves being their followers. I fancy it means that\nRolf of Gothland and Ingiald of Denmark are coming hither, bent on a\nmission of peace, since they appear so tame. Do you think that King Rolf\nis coming to woo our daughter, Torborg?\"\n\n\"Nonsense, woman; the king of so small a realm would show great assurance\nto seek for wife so great a princess as our daughter.\"\n\nSo when Rolf and his followers came to Upsala King Erik showed his\ndispleasure, inviting him to his table but giving him no seat of honor at\nthe feast. Rolf sat silent and angry at this treatment, but when Erik\nasked him why he had come, he told him courteously enough the reason of\nhis visit.\n\n\"I know how fond you Goths are of a joke,\" said Erik, with a laugh. \"You\nhave a way of saying one thing when you mean another. But I can guess\nwhat brings you. Gothland is little and its revenues are small and you\nhave many people to keep and feed. Food is now scarce in Gothland, and\nyou have come here that you may not suffer from hunger. It was a good\nthought for you to come to Upsala for help, and you are welcome to go\nabout my kingdom with your men for a month; then you can return home\nplump and well fed.\"\n\nThis jesting speech made Rolf very angry, though he said little in reply.\nBut when the king told Queen Ingerd that evening what he had said she was\nmuch displeased.\n\n\"King Rolf may have a small kingdom,\" she said, \"but he has gained fame\nby his courage and ability, and is as powerful as many kings with a wider\nrule. You did not well to mock him.\"\n\nThe next day Erik, thus admonished, begged Rolf's pardon, saying that the\nale had made him speak foolishly, and thus he became reconciled with his\nguest. As for Rolf's desire to win his daughter, he would first have to\ngain Torborg's consent, which would be no easy matter. The king promised\nnot to interfere but would do no more.\n\nSoon after this Rolf and his men arrived at Ulleraker, reaching there\nwhen the whole of Torborg's court were assembled in the great hall.\nFearing a hostile reception, Rolf took wary precautions. He choose twelve\nof his stoutest men, with himself and Ingiald at their head, to enter the\ncourt with drawn swords in their hands. If they were attacked, they were\nto go out backward fighting, but they were bidden to conduct themselves\nlike men and let nothing alarm them. The others remained outside, keeping\nthe horses in readiness to mount.\n\nWhen the party entered the hall, Rolf at their head, all there were\nstruck with his great size and noble aspect. No one assailed them and he\nwalked up the hall, on whose high seat at the front he saw what seemed a\ntall and finely formed man, dressed in royal robes. Knowing that this\nmust be the haughty princess whose hand he had come to seek, he took off\nhis helmet, bowed low before her, and began to tell what brought him to\nher court.\n\nHe had scarcely begun when she stopped him. She said that he must be\njoking; that she knew his real errand was to get food and that this she\nwould give him; but he must apply for it to the chief of the kitchen,\nnot to her.\n\nRolf had not come so far to be laughed out of the court, and he sturdily\nwent on with what he had to say, speaking to her as a woman, and\ndemanding her hand in marriage. At this she changed her jesting manner,\nher cheeks grew red with anger, and springing up, she seized her weapons\nand called upon her men to lay hold upon and bind the fool that had dared\naffront their monarch. Shouting and confusion followed and a sharp attack\nwas made on the intruders, but Rolf put on his helmet and bade his men to\nretire, which they did in good order. He walked backward through the\nwhole hall, shield on arm and sword in hand, parrying and dealing blows,\nso that when he left the room, though no blade had touched him, a dozen\nof the courtiers lay bleeding. But being greatly overmatched, he ordered\nhis men to mount, and they rode away unscathed.\n\nBack to West Gothland they went and told Kettil how poorly they had\nfared.\n\n\"You have suffered a sore insult and affront at a woman's hand,\" said\nKettil, \"and my advice is that it be speedily avenged,\" but Rolf replied\nthat he was not yet ready to act.\n\nTorborg had not taken the trouble to ask the name of her wooer, but when\nshe learned who it was she knew very well that the matter had not reached\nits end and that her would-be lover would return stronger than before. As\nshe did not want him or any man for husband she made great preparations\nfor an attack, gathering a large body of warriors and having a wall of\ngreat strength and the finest workmanship built round the town. It was so\nhigh and thick that no battering ram could shake it, while water-cisterns\nwere built into it to put out the fire if any one sought to burn it. From\nthis we may judge that the wall was of wood. This done, Torborg made\nmerry with her court, thinking that no lover in the wide world would now\nventure to annoy her.\n\nShe did not know the kind of man she had to deal with in King Rolf. He\nhad fought with men and fancied he was fit to conquer a woman. The next\nsummer he had a battle with Asmund, son of the king of Scotland, and when\nit was over they became friends and foster-brothers and went on viking\ncruises together. Next spring Rolf armed and manned six ships and, taking\nKettil and Ingiald and Asmund with him, set sail for Upsala. He proposed\nnow to woo the warrior princess in another fashion.\n\nQueen Ingerd about this time dreamed again, her dream being the same as\nbefore, except that this time there were two white bears, and a hog which\nwas small but spiteful, its bristles pointing forward and its mouth\nsnarling as if ready to bite anything that came before it. And the bears\ndid not look as gentle as before, but seemed irritated.\n\nShe interpreted this dream to mean that Rolf was coming again to avenge\nthe affront he had received, and that the fierce hog must stand for\nKettil, of whose character she had been told.\n\nWhen Rolf now arrived King Erik received him with honor, and again agreed\nto remain his friend, no matter how stormy a courtship he might have.\nFrom Upsala he set out for Ulleraker and sent a herald to Princess\nTorborg, asking speech with her. She presented herself at the top of the\nwall, surrounded by armed men. King Rolf renewed his suit, and told her\nplainly that if she did not accept his proposal he had come to burn the\ntown and slay every man within its walls.\n\n\"You shall first serve as a goatherd in West Gothland before you get any\npower over me and mine,\" answered Torborg haughtily.\n\nRolf lost no time in assailing the walls, but found them stoutly\ndefended. The Swedes within poured boiling water and hot pitch on their\nassailants, threw down stones and beams, and hurled spears and arrows\nfrom the wall. For fourteen days the siege continued without effect,\nuntil the Goths, weary of their hard fighting and the mockery of the\ndefenders, began to complain and wanted to return home. The townspeople\nderided them by showing costly goods from the ramparts and bidding them\ncome and take them, and ridiculed them in many other ways.\n\nKing Rolf now saw that he must take other measures. He had a cover\nconstructed of boards and brushwood and supported by stout beams, making\na strong roof which was set against the wall and defied all the boiling\nwater and missiles of the Swedes. Under its shelter a hole was dug\nthrough the wall and soon the Goths were in the queen's citadel.\n\nTo their surprise they found it empty. Not a soul was to be seen, but in\nevery room they found well-cooked food and many articles of value.\n\n\"This is a fine capture,\" said Kettil. \"Let us enjoy ourselves and divide\nthe spoil.\"\n\n\"Not so,\" said Rolf. \"It is a lure to draw us off. I will not rest till I\nhave the princess in my power.\"\n\nThey sought the palace through and through, but no one was there. Finally\na secret passage was discovered, leading underground, and the king\nentered it, the others following. They emerged in a forest where they\nfound Torborg and all her men and where a sharp battle began. No warrior\ncould have fought more bravely than the man-like princess, and her men\nstood up for her boldly, but they gradually gave way before the onset of\nRolf and his tried warriors.\n\nRolf now bade Kettil to take Torborg prisoner, but not to wound her,\nsaying that it would be shameful to use arms against a woman. Kettil\nsprang forward and gave the princess a sharp blow with the flat of his\nsword, reviling her at the same time with rude words. In return, Torborg\ngave him so hard a blow on the ear with her battle-axe that he fell\nprostrate, with his heels in the air.\n\n\"That is the way we treat our dogs when they bark too loud,\" she said.\n\nKettil sprang up, burning with anger, but at the same moment Rolf rushed\nforward and grasped the warlike princess in his powerful arms, so that\nshe was forced to surrender.\n\nHe told her that she was his prisoner, but that he did not wish to win a\nwife in the viking manner and that he would leave it to her father to\njudge what should be done. Taken captive in his arms, there was nothing\nelse for her to do, and she went with him to Upsala, where King Erik was\ndelighted at Rolf's success. As for the warlike princess, she laid down\nher arms at her father's feet, put on a woman's garments, and seemed glad\nenough to have been won as a bride in so warlike a manner and by so\nheroic a wooer.\n\nSoon after this the marriage took place, the festivities being the\ngrandest the court could afford and lasting for fourteen days, after\nwhich Rolf and his followers returned home, his new queen with him. The\nsagas say, as we can well believe after so strenuous a wooing, that\nafterwards King Rolf and Queen Torborg lived a long and happy life.\n\n\n\n\n_RAGNAR LODBROK AND HIS WIVES AND SONS._\n\n\nThe old sagas, or hero tales of the north, are full of stories of\nenchantment and strange marvels. We have told one of these tales in the\nrecord of King Rolf and Princess Torborg. We have now to tell that of\nRagnar Lodbrok, a hero king of the early days, whose story is full of\nmagical incidents. That this king reigned and was a famous man in his\ndays there is no reason to doubt, but around his career gathered many\nfables, as was apt to be the case with the legends of great men in those\ndays. To show what these tales were like we take from the sagas the\nmarvellous record of Ragnar and his wives.\n\nIn East Gothland in the ancient days there lived a mighty jarl, or earl,\nnamed Herroed, who was descended from the gods. He had a daughter named\nTora, who was famed for her beauty and virtue, but proved as hard to win\nfor a wife as Princess Torborg had been. She dwelt in a high room which\nhad a wall built around it like a castle, and was called Castle Deer,\nbecause she surpassed all other women in beauty as much as the deer\nsurpasses all other animals.\n\nHer father, who was very fond of her, gave her as a toy a small and\nwonderfully beautiful snake which he had received in a charmed egg in\nBjarmaland. It proved to be an unwelcome gift. The snake was at first\ncoiled in a little box, but soon grew until the box would not hold it,\nand in time was so big that the room would not hold it. So huge did it\nbecome in the end that it lay coiled in a ring around the outer walls,\nbeing so long that its head and tail touched.\n\nIt got to be so vicious that no one dared come near it except the maiden\nand the man who fed it, and his task was no light one, for it devoured an\nox at a single meal. The jarl was sorry enough now that he had given his\ndaughter such a present. It was one not easy to get rid of, dread of the\nsnake having spread far and wide, and though he offered his daughter with\na great dower to the man who should kill it, no one for a long time\nventured to strive for the reward. The venom which it spat out was enough\nto destroy any warrior.\n\nAt length a suitor for the hand of the lovely princess was found in\nRagnar, the young son of Sigurd Ring, then one of the greatest monarchs\nof the age, with all Sweden and Norway under his sway, as the sagas tell.\nRagnar, though still a boy, had gained fame as a dauntless warrior, and\nwas a fit man to dare the venture with the great snake, though for a long\ntime he seemed to pay no heed to the princess.\n\nBut meanwhile he had made for himself a strange coat. It was wrought out\nof a hairy hide, which he boiled in pitch, drew through sand, and then\ndried and hardened in the sun. The next summer he sailed to East\nGothland, hid his ships in a small bay, and at dawn of the next day\nproceeded toward the maiden's bower, spear in hand and wearing his\nstrange coat.\n\nThere lay the dreaded serpent, coiled in a ring round the wall. Ragnar,\nnothing daunted, struck it boldly with his spear, and before it could\nmove in defence struck it a second blow, pressing the spear until it\npierced through the monster's body. So fiercely did the snake struggle\nthat the spear broke in two, and it would have destroyed Ragnar with the\nvenom it poured out if he had not worn his invulnerable coat.\n\nThe noise of the struggle and the fierceness of the snake's convulsions,\nwhich shook the whole tower, roused Tora and her maids, and she looked\nfrom her window to see what it meant. She saw there a tall man, but could\nnot distinguish his features in the grey dawn. The serpent was now in its\ndeath throes, though this she did not know, and she called out:\n\n\"Who are you, and what do you want?\"\n\nRagnar answered in this verse:\n\n               \"For the maid fair and wise\n               I would venture my life.\n               The scale-fish got its death wound\n               From a youth of fifteen!\"\n\nThen he went away, taking the broken handle of the spear with him. Tora\nlistened in surprise, for she learned from the verse that a boy of\nfifteen had slain the great monster, and she marvelled at his great size\nfor his years, wondering if he were man or wizard. When day came she told\nher father of the strange event, and the jarl drew out the broken spear\nfrom the snake, finding it to be so heavy that few men could have lifted\nit.\n\nWho had killed the serpent and earned the reward? The jarl sent a mandate\nthroughout his kingdom, calling all men together, and when they came he\ntold them the story of the snake's death, and bade him who possessed the\nhandle of the spear to present it, as he would keep his word with any\none, high or low.\n\nRagnar and his men stood on the edge of the throng as the broken head of\nthe spear was passed round, no one being able to present the handle\nfitting it. At length it came to Ragnar, and he drew forth the handle\nfrom his cloak, showing that the broken ends fitted exactly. A great\nfeast for the victor was now given by Jarl Herroed, and when Ragnar saw\nthe loveliness of Tora, he was glad to ask her for his queen, while she\nwas equally glad to have such a hero for her spouse. A splendid bridal\nfollowed and the victor took his beautiful bride home.\n\nThis exploit gave Ragnar great fame and he received the surname of\nLodbrok, on account of the strange coat he had worn. Ragnar and Tora\nlived happily together but not to old age, for after some years she took\nsick and died, leaving two sons, Erik and Agnar, who grew up to be strong\nand beautiful youths. Ragnar had loved her greatly and after her death\nsaid he would marry no other woman. Nor could he comfort himself at home\nbut began to wander abroad on warlike voyages, that he might drive away\nhis sorrow.\n\nLeaving Ragnar Lodbrok to his travels, let us take up the strange story\nof another fair maiden, who was to have much to do with his future life.\nShe was named Asloeg and was the daughter of King Sigurd Fafnisbane, of\nGermany. Soon after she was born enemies of her father killed him and her\nmother and all of his race they could find. Her life was saved by Heimer,\nfoster-father to her mother, who to get her away from the murderers had a\nlarge harp made with a hollow frame, in which he hid the child and all\nthe treasure he could find.\n\nThen he wandered far as a travelling harper, letting the child out when\nthey came to solitary woods, and when she wept and moaned silencing her\nby striking the strings of the harp. After long journeying he came to a\ncottage in Norway called Spangerhed, where lived a beggar and his wife.\nSeeing a gold bracelet under Heimer's rags, and some rich embroidery\nsticking from the harp, the beggar and his wife killed him during the\nnight and broke open the harp. They found in it the wealth they sought,\nbut the discovery of the pretty little girl troubled them.\n\n\"What shall we do with this child?\" he asked.\n\n\"We will bring her up as our own, and name her Kraka, after my mother,\"\nsaid his wife.\n\n\"But no one will believe that ugly old people like us can have so fair a\ndaughter.\"\n\n\"Let me manage it,\" said the wife. \"I will put tar on her head so that\nher hair will not be too long, and keep her in ragged clothes and at the\nhardest work.\"\n\nThis they did and little Asloeg grew up as a beggar's child. And as she\nkept strangely silent, never speaking, all people thought her dumb.\n\nOne day, when Asloeg was well grown, Ragnar Lorbrok came that way,\ncruising along the Norway coast. The crew was out of bread and men were\nsent ashore to bake some at a house they saw in the distance. This house\nwas Spangerhed, where Kraka dwelt.\n\nShe had seen the ships come up and the men land, and was ashamed to be\nseen by strangers as she was, so she washed herself and combed her hair,\nthough she had been bidden never to do so. So long and thick had her hair\ngrown that it reached to the ground and covered her completely.\n\nWhen the cooks came to bake their bread they were so surprised at the\nbeauty of the maiden that they let the loaves burn while looking at her,\nand on being blamed for this carelessness on their return to the ship\nsaid they could not help it, for they had been bewitched by the face of\nthe loveliest maiden they had ever gazed upon.\n\n\"She cannot be as lovely as Tora was,\" said Ragnar.\n\n\"There was never a lovelier woman,\" they declared, and Ragnar was so\nstruck by their story that he sent messengers ashore to learn if they\nwere telling the truth. If it were so, he said, if Kraka were as\nbeautiful as Tora, they were bidden to bring her to him neither dressed\nnor undressed, neither fasting nor satisfied, neither alone nor in\ncompany. The messengers found the maiden as fair as the cooks had said\nand repeated the king's demand.\n\n\"Your king must be out of his mind, to send such a message,\" said the\nbeggar's wife; but Kraka told them that she would come as their king\nwished, but not until the next morning.\n\nThe next day she came to the shore where the ship lay. She was completely\ncovered with her splendid hair, worn like a net around her. She had eaten\nan onion before coming, and had with her the old beggar's sheep dog; so\nthat she had fulfilled Ragnar's three demands.\n\nHer wit highly pleased Ragnar and he asked her to come on board, but she\nwould not do so until she had been promised peace and safety. When she\nwas taken to the cabin Ragnar looked at her in delight. He thought that\nshe surpassed Tora in beauty, and offered a prayer to Odin, asking for\nthe love of the maiden. Then he took the gold-embroidered dress which\nTora had worn and offered it to Kraka, saying in verse, in the fashion of\nthose times:\n\n               \"Will you have Tora's robe? It suits you well. Her\n               white hands have played upon it. Lovely and kind was\n               she to me until death.\"\n\nKraka answered, also in verse:\n\n               \"I dare not take the gold-embroidered robe which\n               adorned Tora the fair. It suits not me. Kraka am I\n               called in coal-black baize. I have ever herded goats on\n               the stones by the sea-shore.\"\n\n\"And now I will go home,\" she added. \"If the king's mind does not change\nhe can send for me when he will.\"\n\nThen she went back to the beggar's cottage and Ragnar sailed in his ship\naway.\n\nOf course every one knows without telling what came from such an\ninvitation. It was not long before Ragnar was back with his ship and he\nfound Kraka quite ready to go with him. And when they reached his home a\nsplendid entertainment was given, during which the marriage between\nRagnar and Kraka took place, everything being rich and brilliant and all\nthe great lords of the kingdom being present. It will be seen that,\nthough the Princess Asloeg pretended to be dumb during her years of\nyouthful life in the beggar's cottage, she found her voice and her wits\nwith full effect when the time came to use them.\n\nShe was now the queen of a great kingdom, and lived for many years\nhappily with her husband Ragnar. And among her children were two sons who\nwere very different from other men. The oldest was called Iwar. He grew\nup to be tall and strong, though there were no bones in his body, but\nonly gristle, so that he could not stand, but had to be carried\neverywhere on a litter. Yet he was very wise and prudent. The second\ngained the name of Ironside, and was so tough of skin that he wore no\narmor in war, but fought with his bare body without being wounded. To the\npeople this seemed the work of magic. There were two others who were like\nother men.\n\nSince the older brothers, the sons of Tora, had long been notable as\nwarriors, the younger brothers, when they grew up, became eager to win\nfame and fortune also, and they went abroad on warlike expeditions,\nfighting many battles, winning many victories, and gaining much riches.\n\nBut Iwar, the boneless one, was not satisfied with this common fighting,\nbut wanted to perform some great exploit, that would give them a\nreputation everywhere for courage. There was the town of Hvitaby (now\nWhitby, in Yorkshire, England), which many great warriors had attacked,\ntheir father among them, but all had been driven back by the power of\nmagic or necromancy. If they could take this stronghold it would give\nthem infinite honor, said Iwar, and to this his brothers agreed.\n\nTo Hvitaby they sailed, and leaving their younger brother Ragnwald in\ncharge of the ships, because they thought him too young to take part in\nso hard a battle, they marched against the town. The place was ably\ndefended, not only by men but by two magical heifers, their charm being\nthat no man could stand before them or even listen to their lowing. When\nthese beasts were loosed and ran out towards the troops, the men were so\nscared by the terrible sound of their voices that Ironside had all he\ncould do to keep them from a panic flight, and many of them fell\nprostrate. But Iwar, who could not stand, but was carried into battle\nupon shields, took his bow and sent his arrows with such skill and\nstrength that both the magic heifers were slain.\n\nThen courage came back to the troops and the townsmen were filled with\nterror. And in the midst of the fighting Ragnwald came up with the men\nleft to guard the ships. He was determined to win some of the glory of\nthe exploit and attacked the townsmen with fury, rushing into their ranks\nuntil he was cut down. But in the end the townsmen were defeated and the\nvaliant brothers returned with great honor and spoil, after destroying\nthe castle. Thus it was that the sons of Kraka gained reputation as\nvaliant warriors.\n\nBut meanwhile Kraka herself was like to lose her queenly station, for\nRagnar visited King Osten of Upsala who had a beautiful daughter named\nIngeborg. On seeing her, his men began to say that it would be more\nfitting for their king to have this lovely princess for his wife, instead\nof a beggar's daughter like Kraka. Ragnar heard this evil counsel, and\nwas so affected by it that he became betrothed to Ingeborg. When he went\nhome he bade his men to say nothing about this betrothal, yet in some way\nKraka came to know of it. That night she asked Ragnar for news and he\nsaid he had none to tell.\n\n\"If you do not care to tell me news,\" said Kraka, \"I will tell you some.\nIt is not well done for a king to affiance himself to one woman when he\nalready has another for his wife. And, since your men chose to speak of\nme as a beggar's daughter, let me tell you that I am no such thing, but a\nking's daughter and of much higher birth than your new love Ingeborg.\"\n\n\"What fable is this you tell me?\" said Ragnar. \"Who, then, were your\nparents?\"\n\n\"My father was King Sigurd Fafnisbane and my mother was the Amazon\nBrynhilda, daughter of King Budle.\"\n\n\"Do you ask me to believe that the daughter of these great people was\nnamed Kraka and brought up in a peasant's hut?\"\n\nThe queen now told him that her real name was Asloeg and related all the\nevents of her early life. And as a sign that she spoke the truth, she\nsaid that her next child, soon to be born, would be a son and would have\na snake in his eye.\n\nIt came out as she said, the boy, when born, having the strange sign of\nwhich she had spoken, so that he was given a name that meant Sigurd\nSnake-in-Eye. So rejoiced was Ragnar at this that he ceased to think of\nIngeborg and all his old love for Kraka, or Asloeg as she was now called,\ncame back.\n\nThe remainder of the lives of Ragnar and Asloeg and of their warlike sons\nis full of valiant deeds and magic arts, far too long to be told here,\nbut which gave them a high place in the legendary lore of the north, in\nwhich Ragnar Lodbrok is one of the chief heroes. At length Ragnar was\ntaken prisoner by King Ethelred of England and thrown into a pit full of\nserpents, where he died. Afterwards Iwar and his brothers invaded\nEngland, conquered that country, and avenged their father by putting\nEthelred to death by torture. Iwar took England for his kingdom and the\nrealms of the north were divided among his brothers, and many more were\nthe wars they had, until death ended the career of these heroes of\nnorthern legend.\n\n\n\n\n_HAROLD FAIR-HAIRED FOUNDS THE KINGDOM OF NORWAY._\n\n\nTo the far-off island of Iceland we must go for the story of the early\ndays of Norway. In that frosty isle, not torn by war or rent by tumult,\nthe people, sitting before their winter fires, had much time to think and\nwrite, and it is to Iceland we owe the story of the gods of the north and\nof the Scandinavian kings of heathen times. One of these writers, Snorri\nSturlasson by name, has left us a famous book, \"The Sagas of the Kings of\nNorway,\" in which he tells of a long line of ancient kings, who were\ndescended from the gods. Here are some of their names, Aun the Old,\nIngjald Ill-Ruler, Olaf the Wood-Cutter, Halfdan Whiteleg, and Halfdan\nthe Swarthy. There were others whom we need not name, and of these\nmentioned the names must suffice, for all we know of them is legend, not\ntruth.\n\nIn those times there was no kingdom of Norway, but a number of petty\nprovinces, ruled over by warriors who are spoken of as kings, but whose\nrule was not very wide. Most powerful among them was Halfdan the Swarthy,\nwho was only a year old in 810 when his father was killed in battle.\n\nHe lived for many years, and he and his wife Ragnhild had strange dreams.\nThe queen dreamed that a thorn which she took out of her clothes grew in\nher hands until one end of it took root in the ground and the other shot\nup into the air. It kept on growing until it was a great tree, so high\nthat she could barely see its top. The lower part of it was blood-red,\nhigher up it was bright green, and the spreading branches were white as\nsnow. So widely they spread that they seemed to shade the whole country\nof Norway.\n\nKing Halfdan did not like it that his wife had such strange dreams and he\nhad none. He asked a sage why this was so, and was told that if he wanted\nto have dreams as strange he must sleep in a pig-sty. A queer recipe for\ndreams, one would think, but the king tried it, and dreamed that his hair\ngrew long and beautiful and hung in bright locks over his shoulders, some\nof them down to his waist, and one, the brightest and most beautiful of\nall, still farther down.\n\nWhen he told the sage of this dream, the wise man said it meant that from\nhim was to come a mighty race of kings, one of whom should be the\ngreatest and most glorious of them all. This great hero, Snorri tells us,\nwas supposed to be Olaf the Saint, who reigned two hundred years later,\nand under whom Christianity first flourished in Norway.\n\nSoon after these dreams a son was born to the queen, who was named\nHarold. A bright, handsome lad he grew to be, wise of mind and strong of\nbody and winning the favor of all who knew him. Many tales which we\ncannot believe are told of his boyhood. Here is one of them. Once when\nthe king was seated at the Yuletide feast all the meats and the ale\ndisappeared from the table, leaving an empty board for the monarch and\nhis guests. There was present a Finn who was said to be a sorceror, and\nhim the king put to the torture, to find out who had done this thing.\nYoung Harold, displeased with his father's act, rescued the Finn from his\ntormentors and went with him to the mountains.\n\nOn they went, miles and leagues away, until they came to a place where a\nFinnish chief was holding a great feast. Harold stayed there until\nspring, when he told his host that he must return to his father's halls.\nThen the chief said:\n\n\"King Halfdan was very angry when I took his meat and ale from him last\nwinter, and now I will reward you with good tidings for what you did.\nYour father is dead and his kingdom waits for you to inherit. And some\nday you will rule over all Norway.\"\n\nHarold found it to be as the Finn had said, and thus in 860, when he was\nonly ten years old, he came to the throne. He was young to be at the head\nof a turbulent people and some ambitious men there were who sought to\ntake advantage of his youth, but his uncle guardian fought for him and\nput them all down. Harold was now the greatest among the petty kings of\nNorway and a wish to be ruler of the whole land grew up in his soul.\n\nHere comes in a story which may not be all true, but is pretty enough to\ntell. It is to the effect that love drove Harold to strive for the\nkingdom. Old Snorri tells the story, which runs this way.\n\nKing Erik of Hoerdaland had a fair daughter named Gyda, the fame of whose\nbeauty reached Harold's ears and he sent messengers to win her for\nhimself. But the maid was proud and haughty and sent back word:\n\n\"Tell your master that I will not yield myself to any man who has only a\nfew districts for his kingdom. Is there no king in the land who can\nconquer all Norway, as King Erik has conquered Sweden and King Gorm\nDenmark?\"\n\nThis was all the answer she had for the heralds, though they pleaded for\na better answer, saying that King Harold was surely great enough for any\nmaid in the land.\n\n\"This is my answer to King Harold,\" she said. \"I will promise to become\nhis wife if for my sake he shall conquer all Norway and rule it as freely\nas King Erik and King Gorm rule their kingdoms. Only when he has done\nthis can he be called the king of a people.\"\n\nWhen the heralds returned they told the king of their ill success and\nadvised him to take the girl by force.\n\n\"Not so,\" Harold replied. \"The girl has spoken well and deserves thanks\ninstead of injury. She has put a new thought into my mind which had not\ncome to me before. This I now solemnly vow and call God to witness, that\nI will not cut or comb my hair until the day when I shall have made\nmyself king of all Norway. If I fail in this, I shall die in the\nattempt.\"\n\n[Illustration: HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT, NORWAY.]\n\nSuch is the legend of Gyda and the vow. What history tells us is that the\nyoung king set out to bring all Norway under his rule and prospered in\nthe great enterprise. One after another, the small kings yielded to his\npower, and were made earls or governors under him. They collected taxes\nand administered justice in his name. All the land of the peasants was\ndeclared to be the property of the king, and those who had been free\nproprietors were now made the king's tenants and were obliged to pay\ntaxes if they wished to hold their lands. These changes angered many and\nthere were frequent rebellions against the king, but he put them all\ndown, and year after year came nearer the goal of his ambition. And his\nhair continued to grow uncut and uncombed, and got to be such a tangled\nmass that men called him Harold Lufa, or Frowsy-Head.\n\nThere was one great and proud family, the Rafnistas, who were not easily\nto be won. To one of them, Kveld-Ulf, or Night-Wolf, Harold sent envoys,\nasking him to enter his service, but the chief sent back word that he was\ntoo old to change. Then he offered Bald Grim, old Night-Wolf's son, high\nhonors if he would become his vassal. Bald Grim replied that he would\ntake no honors that would give him rank over his father.\n\nHarold grew angry at this, and was ready to use force where good words\nwould not prevail, but in the end the old chief agreed that his second\nson Thorolf might be the king's man if he saw fit. This he agreed to do,\nand as he was handsome, intelligent and courtly the king set much store\nby him.\n\nNot only with the Norway chiefs, but with the king of Sweden, Harold had\ntrouble. While he was busy in the south King Erik invaded the north, and\nHarold had to march in haste to regain his dominions. But the greatest\ndanger in his career came in 872, when a number of chiefs combined\nagainst him and gathered a great fleet, which attacked Harold's fleet in\nHalfrs-Fjord. Then came the greatest and hottest fight known to that day\nin Norway. Loudly the war-horns sounded and the ships were driven\nfiercely to the fray, Harold's ship being in the front wherever the fight\nwaxed hottest. Thorolf, the son of Night-Wolf, stood in its prow,\nfighting with viking fury, and beside him stood two of his brothers,\nmatching him blow with blow.\n\nYet the opposing chiefs and their men were stout fighters and the contest\nlong seemed doubtful, many brave and able men falling on both sides.\nArrows hissed in swift flight through the air, spears hurtled after them,\nstones were hurled by strong hands, and those who came hand to hand\nfought like giants. At length Harold's berserkers--men who fought without\narmor, replacing it with fury of onslaught--rushed forward and boarded\nthe hostile ships, cutting down all who opposed them. Blood ran like\nwater and the chieftains and their men fell or fled before this wild\nassault. The day was won for Harold, and with it the kingdom, for after\nthat fatal fray none dared to stand up before him.\n\nHis vow accomplished, all Norway now his, Harold at last consented to the\ncutting of his hair, this being done by Ragnvald, the earl of Moere. The\ntangled strands being cut and the hair deftly combed, those who saw it\nmarvelled at its beauty, and from that day the king was known as Harold\nthe Fair-Haired. As for Gyda, the maid, the great task she set having\nbeen accomplished, she gave her hand to Harold, a splendid marriage\ncompleting the love romance of their lives.\n\nThis romance, however, is somewhat spoiled by the fact that Harold\nalready had a wife, Aasa, the daughter of Earl Haakon, and that he\nafterwards married other wives. He had his faults and weaknesses, one of\nthese being that he was not faithful to women and he was jealous of men\nwho were growing in greatness. One of the men whom he began to fear or\nhate was Thorolf, who had aided him so mightily in battle and long stood\nhighest in his favor.\n\nThorolf married a rich wife and grew very wealthy, living like a prince,\nand becoming profuse in his hospitality. He was gracious and liberal and\nwon hosts of friends, while he aided the king greatly in collecting taxes\nfrom the Finns, who were not very willing to part with their money.\nDespite this service Harold grew to distrust Thorolf, or to hate him for\nother reasons, and the time came when this feeling led to a tragedy.\n\nThorolf had been made bailiff of Haalogaland, and when Harold came to\nthis province his bailiff entertained him with a splendid feast, to which\neight hundred guests were invited, three hundred of them being the king's\nattendants.\n\nYet, through all the hilarity of the feast, Harold sat dark and brooding,\nmuch to his host's surprise. He unbent a little at the end and seemed\nwell pleased when Thorolf presented him with a large dragon ship, fully\nequipped. Yet not long afterwards he took from him his office of bailiff,\nand soon showed himself his deadly foe, slandering him as a pretext for\nattacking him on his estate.\n\nThe assailants set fire to Thorolf's house and met him with a shower of\nspears when he broke out from the burning mansion. Seeing the king among\nthem Thorolf rushed furiously towards him, cut down his banner-bearer\nwith a sword blow, and was almost within touch of the king when he fell\nfrom his many wounds, crying: \"By three steps only I failed.\"\n\nIt is said that Harold himself gave the death blow, yet he looked sadly\non the warrior as he lay dead at his feet, saying, as he saw a man\nbandaging a slight wound: \"That wound Thorolf did not give. Differently\ndid weapons bite in his hand. It is a pity that such men must die.\"\n\nThis would indicate that King Harold had other reasons than appears from\nthe narrative for the slaughter of his former friend. It must be borne\nin mind that he was engaged in founding a state, and had many disorderly\nand turbulent elements with which to deal, and that before he had ended\nhis work he was forced to banish from the kingdom many of those who stood\nin his way. We do not know what secret peril to his plans led him to\nremove Thorolf from his path.\n\nHowever that be, the killing of the chief sent his father to his bed sick\nwith grief, and he grew content only when he heard that the king's hand\nhad slain him and that he had fallen on his face at his slayer's feet.\nFor when a dying man fell thus it was a sign that he would be avenged.\n\nBut the old man was far too weak to attack Harold openly, and was not\nwilling to dwell in the same kingdom with him; so he, with his son Bald\nGrim and all his family and wealth, took ship and set sail for Iceland.\nBut long he lingered on Norway's coast, hoping for revenge on some of\nHarold's blood, and chance threw in his way a ship containing two cousins\nof the king. This he attacked, killed the king's cousins, and captured\nthe ship. Then Bald Grim, full of exultation, sang a song of triumph on\nthe ship's prow, beginning with:\n\n               \"Now is the Hersir's vengeance\n               On the king fulfilled;\n               Wolf and eagle tread on\n               Yngling's children.\"\n\nThere were other chieftains who sought refuge abroad from Harold's rule,\nmen who were bitterly opposed to the new government he founded, with its\nsystem of taxation and its strict laws. They could not see why the old\nsystem of robbing and plundering within Norway's confines should be\ninterfered with or their other ancient privileges curtailed, and several\nthousand sailed away to found new homes in the Orkneys, the Hebrides, and\nIceland.\n\nOne of the chief of these, Rolf, or Rollo, son of the king's friend,\nRagnvald of Moere, defied Harold's laws and was declared an outlaw. His\nhigh birth made the king more determined to punish him, as an example to\nothers, and no influence could win forgiveness for Rolf the Walker, as\nmen called him, saying that he was so tall and heavy that no horse could\ncarry him.\n\nWe must follow the outlaw in his journey, for it was one destined to lead\nto great events. Setting sail with a fleet and a large number of\nfollowers, he made his way to the coast of France, and fixed himself\nthere, plundering the people for several years. Charles the Simple, king\nof France, finding that he could not drive the bold Norseman off, at\nlength gave him a large province on condition that he would become a\nChristian, and hold his land as a vassal of the king. The province was\ngiven the name of Normandy, and from Rollo descended that sturdy race of\nkings one of whom conquered England in the following century. Thus the\nexile of Rollo led to events of world-wide importance.\n\nWhen the proud Norseman was asked to kiss King Charles's foot in token of\nfealty to him, he answered: \"I will never bend my knee before any man,\nnor will I kiss any man's foot.\"\n\nHe could hardly be persuaded to let one of his men kiss the king's foot\nas a proxy for him. The man chosen strode sturdily forward, seized the\nfoot of the king, who was on horseback, and lifted it to his lips so\nroughly that the poor king turned a somersault from his horse. The\nNorsemen laughed in derision while the king's followers stood by grim and\nsilent.\n\nBut despite his unruliness at home, Rollo, when he got a kingdom of his\nown, ruled it with all the sternness of King Harold, hanging all robbers\nthat fell into his hands, and making his kingdom so secure that the\npeasants could leave their tools in the fields at night without fear of\nloss. Five generations after him came to the throne William the\nConqueror, who won himself the kingdom of England.\n\nTo go back to Harold, the builder of the kingdom of Norway, we shall only\nsay in conclusion that he built his rule on sure foundations and kept a\ncourt of high splendor, and died without a rebel in his realm in 933,\nseventy-three years after he succeeded his father as ruler of a\nprovince.\n\n\n\n\n_GORM THE OLD, DENMARK'S FIRST KING._\n\n\nIn ancient times Denmark was not a kingdom, but a multitude of small\nprovinces ruled over by warlike chiefs who called themselves kings. It\nwas not until the ninth century that these little king-ships were\ncombined into one kingdom, this being done by a famous chieftain, known\nby the Danes as Gorm den Gamle, or Gorm the Old. A great warrior he was,\na viking of the vikings, and southern Europe felt his heavy hand. A\nfamous story of barbarian life is that of Gorm, which well deserves to be\ntold.\n\nHe was the son of a fierce pagan of Norway, Hardegon, who was of royal\nblood, being a grandson of the half-fabulous Ragnar Lodbrok. A prince\nwith only his sword for kingdom, Hardegon looked around for a piece of\nland to be won by fighting, and fixed upon Lejre, in the fruitful Danish\nisland of Sjoelland, which was just then in a very inviting state for the\nsoldier of fortune. Some time before it had fallen into the hands of a\nSwedish fortune-seeker named Olaf, who left it to his two sons. These in\nturn had just been driven out by Siegric, the rightful king, when\nHardegon descended upon it and seized it for himself. Dying, he left it\nto his son Gorm.\n\nIt was a small kingdom that Gorm had fallen heir to. A lord's estate we\nwould call it to-day. But while small in size, it stood high in rank, for\nit was here that the great sacrifices to Odin, the chief Scandinavian\ndeity, were held, and it was looked upon as one of the most sacred of\nspots. Hither at Yuletide came the devotees of Odin from all quarters to\nworship at his shrine, and offer gifts of gold and silver, precious\nstones and costly robes, to the twelve high priests of whom the king of\nLejre was the chief. And every worshipper, whether rich or poor, was\nexpected to bring a horse, a dog, or a cock, these animals being sacred\nto Odin and sacrificed in large numbers annually at his shrine. In the\nspecial nine-year services, people came in great numbers, and it is\nprobable that on these occasions human sacrifices were made, captives\ntaken in war or piratical excursions being saved for this purpose.\n\nAs one may see, the king of Lejre had excellent opportunity to acquire\nwealth, and young Gorm, being brave, clever, and ambitious, used his\nriches to increase his landed possessions. At least, the Danish\nhistorians tell us that he began by buying one bit of land, getting\nanother by barter, seizing on one district, having another given him, and\nso on. But all this is guess-work, and all we actually know is that Gorm,\nthe son of a poor though nobly-born sea-rover, before his death gained\ncontrol of all Denmark, then much larger than the Denmark of to-day, and\nchanged the small state with which he began into a powerful kingdom,\nbringing all the small kings under his sway.\n\nThe ambitious chief did not content himself with this. Long before his\nkingdom was rounded and complete he had become known as one of the most\ndaring and successful of the viking adventurers who in those days made\nall Europe their prey.\n\nEarly in his reign he made a plundering cruise along the shores of the\nBaltic and joined in a piratical invasion of Russia, penetrating far\ninward and pillaging as he went. We hear of him again in 882 as one of\nthe chiefs of a daring band which made a conquering raid into Germany,\nintrenched itself on the river Maas, sallied forth on plundering\nexcursions whose track was marked by ruined fields and burnt homesteads,\nvillages and towns, and even assailed and took Aix-la-Chapelle, one of\nthe chief cities of the empire of Charlemagne and the seat of his tomb.\nThe reckless freebooters stalled their horses in the beautiful chapel in\nwhich the great emperor lay buried and stripped from his tomb its gilded\nand silvered railings and everything of value which the monks had not\nhidden.\n\nThe whole surrounding country was similarly ravaged and desolated by the\nruthless heathens, monasteries were burned, monks were killed or\ncaptured, and the emperor, Charles the Fat, was boldly defied. When\nCharles brought against the plunderers an army large enough to devour\nthem, he was afraid to strike a blow against them, and preferred to buy\nthem off with a ransom of two thousand pounds of gold and silver, all he\ngot in return being their promise to be baptized.\n\nFinding that they had a timid foe to deal with, the rapacious Norsemen\nasked for more, and when they finally took to their ships two hundred\ntransports were needed to carry away their plunder. The cowardly Charles,\nindeed, was so wrought upon by fear of the pagan Danes that he even\npassed the incredible law that any one who killed a Norseman should have\nhis eyes put out and in some cases should lose his life.\n\nAll this was sure to invite new invasions. A wave of joy passed through\nthe north when the news spread of the poltroonery of the emperor and the\nvast spoil awaiting the daring hand. Back they came, demanding and\nreceiving new ransom, and in 885 there began a great siege of Paris by\nforty thousand Danes.\n\nKing Gorm was one of the chiefs who took part in this, and when Henry of\nNeustria, whom the emperor had sent with an army against them, was routed\nand driven back, it was Gorm who pursued the fugitives into the town of\nSoissons, where many captives and a great booty were taken.\n\nThe dastard emperor again bought them off with money and freedom to\nravage Burgundy, Paris being finally rescued by Count Eudes. In 891 they\nwere so thoroughly beaten by King Arnulf, of Germany, that their great\nleaders fell on the field and only a remnant of the Norsemen escaped\nalive, the waters of the river Dyle running red with the blood of slain\nthousands.\n\nGorm was one of the chiefs who took part in this disastrous battle of\nLouvaine and was one of the fortunate few who lived to return to their\nnative land. Apparently it was not the last of his expeditions, his wife,\nQueen Thyra, taking care of the kingdom in his many long absences.\n\nThyra needed ability and resolution to fitly perform this duty, for those\nwere restless and turbulent times, and the Germans made many incursions\ninto Sleswick and Jutland and turned the borderlands on the Eyder into a\ndesert. This grew so hard to bear that the wise queen devised a plan to\nprevent it. Gathering a great body of workmen from all parts of Denmark,\nshe set them to building a wall of defense from forty-five to\nseventy-five feet high and eight miles long, crossing from water to water\non the east and west. This great wall, since known as the Dannevirke,\ntook three years to build. There were strong watch-towers at intervals\nand only one gate, and this was well protected by a wide and deep ditch,\ncrossed by a bridge that could readily be removed.\n\nFor ages afterwards the Danes were grateful to Queen Thyra for this\nsplendid wall of defense and sang her praises in their national hymns,\nwhile they told wonderful tales of her cleverness in ruling the land\nwhile her husband was far away. Fragments of Thyra's rampart still remain\nand its remains formed the groundwork of all the later border bulwarks of\nDenmark.\n\nQueen Thyra, while a worshipper of the northern gods, showed much favor\nto the Christians and caused some of her children to be signed with the\ncross. But King Gorm was a fierce pagan and treated his Christian\nsubjects so cruelly that he gained the name of the \"Church's worm,\" being\nregarded as one who was constantly gnawing at the supports of the Church.\nHenry I. the Fowler, the great German emperor of that age, angry at this\ntreatment of the Christians, sent word to Gorm that it must cease, and\nwhen he found that no heed was paid to his words he marched a large army\nto the Eyder, giving Gorm to understand that he must mend his ways or his\nkingdom would be overrun.\n\nGorm evidently feared the loss of his dominion, for from that time on he\nallowed the Archbishop of Bremen to preach in his dominions and to\nrebuild the churches which had been destroyed, while he permitted his son\nHarald, who favored the Christians, to be signed with the cross. But he\nkept to the faith of his forefathers, as did his son Knud, known as\n\"Dan-Ast,\" or the \"Danes'-joy.\"\n\nThe ancient sagas tell us that there was little love between Knud and\nHarald; and that Gorm, fearing ill results from this, swore an oath that\nhe would put to death any one who attempted to kill his first-born son,\nor who should even tell him that Knud had died.\n\nWhile Harald remained at home and aided his mother, Knud was of his\nfather's fierce spirit and for years attended him on his viking\nexpeditions. On one of these he was drowned, or rather was killed while\nbathing, by an arrow shot from one of his own ships. Gorm was absent at\nthe time, and Thyra scarcely knew how the news could be told him without\nincurring the sworn penalty of death.\n\nFinally she put herself and her attendants into deep mourning and hung\nthe chief hall of the palace with the ashy-grey hangings used at the\ngrave-feasts of Northmen of noble birth. Then, seating herself, she\nawaited Gorm's return. On entering the hall he was struck by these signs\nof mourning and by the silence and dejection of the queen, and broke out\nin an exclamation of dismay:\n\n\"My son, Knud, is dead!\"\n\n\"Thou hast said it, and not I, King Gorm,\" was the queen's reply. The\nnews of the death had thus been conveyed to him without any one incurring\nthe sworn penalty. Soon after that--in 936--King Gorm died, and the\nthrone of Denmark was left to his son Harald, a cruel and crafty man whom\nmany of the people believed to have caused the murder of his brother.\n\n\n\n\n_ERIK BLOOD-AXE AND EGIL THE ICELANDER._\n\n\nIn the year 900 Harold the Fair-Haired, the famous monarch who made a\nkingdom of Norway, passed a law which was to work mischief for centuries\nto come. Erik, his favorite son, was named overlord of the kingdom, but\nwith the proviso that his other sons should bear the kingly title and\nrule over provinces, while the sons of his daughters were to be made\nearls. Had the wise Harold dreamed of the trouble this unwise law was to\nmake he would have cut off his right hand before signing it. It was to\ngive rise to endless rebellions and civil wars which filled the kingdom\nwith ruin and slaughter for many reigns and at last led to its overthrow\nand long disappearance from among the separate nations of the earth.\n\nA bold and daring prince was Erik, with the old viking blood in his\nveins. When only twelve years of age his father gave him five ships, each\nwith a sturdy crew of Norsemen, and sent him out to ravage the southern\nlands, in the manner of the sea-kings of those days. Many were the\nperilous exploits of the young viking admiral and when he came back to\nhis father's halls and told him of his daring deeds, the old king\nlistened with delight. So fierce and fatal were many of his fights that\nhe won the name of Blood-Axe, but for this his father loved him all the\nmore and chose him to be his successor on the throne.\n\n[Illustration: HOME OF PEASANTS. NORWAY.]\n\nBefore his father died Erik had shown what was in him, by attacking and\nkilling two of his brothers. But despite all that, when the old king was\neighty years of age he led Erik to the throne and named him as his\nsuccessor. Three years later Harold died and Norway fell under the young\nsea-king's hand--a brave, handsome, stately ruler; but haughty, cruel,\nand pitiless in his wrath, and with the old viking wildness in his blood.\n\nHe had married a woman whom men called a witch--cruel, treacherous,\nloving money and power, and with such influence over him that she killed\nall the good in his soul and spurred him on to evil deeds.\n\nStrange stories are told of the wicked Queen Gunhild. It was said that\nshe had been sent to Finland to learn the arts of sorcery, in which the\nFinns of those days were well versed. Here Erik met her in one of his\nwanderings, and was taken captive by her bold beauty. She dwelt with two\nsorcerers, both bent on marrying her, while she would have neither of\nthem. Prince Erik was a suitor more to her liking and she hid him in her\ntent, begging him to rescue her from her troublesome lovers.\n\nThis was no easy task, for sorcerers have arts of their own, but Erik\nproved equal to it, cut his way through all the difficulties in his path\nand carried Gunhild away to his ships, where he made her his wife. In\nher he had wed a dragon of mischief, as his people were to learn.\n\nShe was of small size but of wonderful beauty, and with sly, insinuating\nways that fitted her well to gain the mastery over strong men. But all\nher arts were used for evil, and she won the hatred of the people by\nspeaking words of ill counsel in her husband's ears. The treachery and\nviolence he showed were said to be the work of Gunhild the witch, and the\nnobles and people soon grew to hate Erik Blood-Axe and his cruel wife,\nand often broke out in rebellion against them.\n\nHis brothers, who had been made kings of provinces, were not ready to\nsubmit to his harsh rule, and barely was old King Harold dead before\nHalfdan the Swarthy--who bore the name of his grandfather--claimed to be\nmonarch in Troendelag, and Olaf, another brother, in Viken. Death came\nsuddenly to Halfdan--men whispered that he had been poisoned by the\nqueen--but his brother Sigfrid took his place and soon the flame of\nrebellion rose north and south. Erik proved equal to the difficulty.\nSigfrid and Olaf were in Tunsberg, where they had met to lay plans to\njoin their forces, when Erik, whose spies told him of their movements,\ntook the town by surprise and killed them both.\n\nThus, so far, Erik Blood-Axe was triumphant. He had killed four of his\nbrothers--men said five--and every one thought that Gunhild would not be\ncontent until all King Harold's brood except her own husband were in the\ngrave.\n\nTrouble next came from a region far away, the frost-king's land of\nIceland in the northern seas, which had been settled from Norway in the\nearly reign of Harold the Fair-Haired, some sixty years before. Here\nlived a handsome and noble man named Thorolf, who had met Erik in his\nviking days. He was the son of the stern old Icelander Bald Grim, and\nnephew of the noble Thorolf who had been basely slain by King Harold.\n\nBald Grim hated Harold and all his race, but Thorolf grew to admire Erik\nfor his daring and made him a present of a large and beautiful ship. Thus\nErik became his friend, and when Thorolf came to Norway the young prince\nbegged his father to let him dwell there in peace. When he at length went\nhome to Iceland he took with him an axe with a richly carved handle,\nwhich Erik had sent as a present to his father.\n\nOld Bald Grim was not the man to be bought over by a present. The hate he\nfelt for Harold he transferred to his son, and when Thorolf set sail\nagain for Norway his father bade him take back the axe to the king and\nsang an insulting song which he bade him repeat to Erik. Thorolf did not\nlike his errand. He thought it best to let the blood-feud die, so he\nthrew the axe into the sea and when he met the king gave him his father's\nthanks for the fine gift. If Thorolf had had his way the trouble would\nhave been at an end, but with him came Egil, his younger brother, a man\nof different character.\n\nStern old Bald Grim seemed born again in his son Egil. A man of great\nsize, swarthy face, harsh of aspect, and of fierce temper, in him was the\nold, tameless spirit of the Norse sea-kings, turbulent, passionate,\nowning no man master, he bent his strong soul to no man's rule. Rash and\nadventurous, he had a long and stormy career, while nature had endowed\nhim with a rich gift of song, which added to his fame. Such was the type\nof men who in those days made all Europe tremble before the Norsemen's\nwrath, and won dominion for the viking warriors in many lands.\n\nThorold when in Norway before had gained powerful friends in the great\nnobles, Thore Herse and Bjoern the Yeoman. On this visit the brothers\nbecame Thore's guests, and Egil and Arinbjoern, Thore's son, became warm\nfriends. The young Icelander's hot temper soon brewed trouble. Sickness\nkept him from going with Thorolf to the house of Bjoern the Yeoman, whose\ndaughter, Aasgard, he was to marry; but he soon got well and went on a\nvisit to Baard, a steward of the king. As fortune decreed he met there\nKing Erik and Queen Gunhild.\n\nEgil was not the man to play the courtier and his hot blood was under\nlittle control. When Baard neglected him in favor of his royal visitor,\nhe broke into such a rage that the queen, to quiet him, tried one of her\nunderhand arts. She bade Baard to mix sleeping herbs with his beer.\n\nSuspecting treachery from the taste of the beer Egil flung his flagon to\nthe floor, struck Baard dead in his fury, and, fleeing for his life, swam\nto an island in the neighboring stream. When men were sent to search the\nisland and capture him he killed some of them, seized their boat, and\nmade his escape.\n\nKing Erik was furious, but Thore Herse got him to accept a money payment\nfor Baard's death--as was then the custom of the land--and he agreed to\nlet Egil dwell in Norway unharmed.\n\nThis was not to the queen's liking. She was fond of Baard and was deeply\nincensed at Egil for his murderous act, and she stormed at the king for\nhis mildness of temper till he broke out:\n\n\"You are forever egging me on to acts of violence; but now you must hold\nyour peace, for I have given my kingly word and cannot break it.\"\n\nGunhild, thus repulsed, sought other means of revenge. A great feast of\nsacrifice to the old heathen gods was to be held at the temple of Gaule,\nand at her instigation her brother, Eyvind Skreyja, agreed to kill one of\nBald Grim's sons. Finding no opportunity for this, he killed one of\nThorolf's men, for which act Erik outlawed him.\n\nThe remainder of the story of Egil's career is largely that of a viking,\nthat is, a piratical rover, bent on spoil and plunder and the harrying of\nsea-coast lands. With Thorolf he took to the sea and cruised about in\nquest of wealth and glory, finally landing in England and fighting in a\ngreat battle under the banner of King Athelstan. He made his mark here,\nbut Thorolf was slain, so Egil went back to Norway, married his brother's\nwidow, and sailed for his old home in Iceland, which he had not seen for\ntwelve years.\n\nIceland was too quiet a land to hold the stirring sea-king long and news\nfrom Norway soon made him take ship again. Bjoern the Yeoman, his wife's\nfather, had died, and Queen Gunhild had given his estate to Berg-Anund,\none of her favorites. Storming with rage, he reached Norway and hotly\npleaded his claim to the estate before the assembly or _thing_ at Gula,\nErik and Gunhild being present. He failed in his purpose, the _thing_\nbreaking up in disorder; and Egil, probably finding Norway too hot to\nhold him, went back to Iceland.\n\nIf King Erik now fancied he was rid of the turbulent Icelander he was\nmistaken. Rankling with a sense of injury and borne onward by his\nimpetuous temper, Egil was soon in Norway again, sought the Bjoern estate,\nsurprised and killed Berg-Anund, and went so far in his daring as to kill\nRagnvald, the king's son, who was visiting Berg. Carried to extremes by\nhis unruly temper he raised what was called a shame-pole, or pole of\ndishonor, on a cliff top, to the king and queen. On it he thrust the head\nof a dead horse, crying out:\n\n\"I turn this dishonor against all the land-spirits of this land, that\nthey may all stray bewildered and none of them find his home until they\nhave driven King Erik and Queen Gunhild out of this land.\"\n\nThis message of defiance he cut in runes--the letters of the\nNorthland--into the pole, that all might read it, and then sailed back to\nIceland.\n\nEgil had not long to wait for his curse to take effect, for Erik's reign\nwas soon threatened from a new source. He had not killed all his\nbrothers. In the old days of King Harold, when near seventy years old, he\nhad married a new wife, who bore him a son whom he named\nHaakon,--destined in later life to reign with the popular title of Haakon\nthe Good. This boy, perhaps for his safety, had been sent to England and\ngiven over to King Athelstan, who brought him up almost as his own son.\n\nErik had been four years on the throne when Haakon came back to Norway, a\nhandsome, noble youth, kind of heart and gentle in disposition, and on\nall sides hailed with joy, for Erik and his evil-minded wife had not won\nthe love of the people. Great nobles and many of the people gathered\naround Haakon, men saying that he was like King Harold come back again,\ngentler and nobler than of old and with all his old stately beauty and\ncharm.\n\nThe next year he was crowned king. Erik tried to raise an army, but none\nof the people were willing to fight for him, and he was forced to flee\nwith his wife and children. Only a few of his old friends went with him,\nbut among them was Arinbjoern, Egil's former friend.\n\nSudden had been King Erik's fall. Lately lord of a kingdom, he had now\nnot a foot of land he could call his own, and he sailed about as a\nsea-robber, landing and plundering in Scotland and England. At length,\nto rid himself of this stinging hornet of the seas, King Athelstan made\nhim lord of a province in Northumberland, with the promise that he would\nfight for it against other vikings like himself. He was also required to\nbe baptized and become a Christian.\n\nMeanwhile Egil dwelt in Iceland, but in bitter discontent. He roamed\nabout the strand, looking for sails at sea and seeming to care little for\nhis wife and children. Men said that Gunhild had bewitched him, but more\nlikely it was his own unquiet spirit. At any rate the time came when he\ncould bear a quiet life no longer and he took ship and sailed away to the\nsouth.\n\nMisfortune now went with him. A storm drove his ship ashore on the\nEnglish coast at the mouth of the Humber, the ship being lost but he and\nhis thirty men reaching shore. Inquiring in whose land he was, people\ntold him that Erik Blood-Axe ruled that region.\n\nEgil's case was a desperate one. He was in the domain of his deadly foe,\nwith little hope of escape. With his usual impetuous spirit, he made no\nattempt to flee, but rode boldly into York, where he found his old friend\nArinbjoern. With him he went straight to Erik, like the reckless fellow he\nwas.\n\n\"What do you expect from me?\" asked Erik. \"You deserve nothing but death\nat my hands.\"\n\n\"Death let it be, then,\" said the bold viking, in his reckless manner.\n\nGunhild on seeing him was eager for his blood. She had hated him so long\nthat she hotly demanded that he should be killed on the spot. Erik, less\nbloodthirsty, gave him his life for one night more, and Arinbjoern begged\nhim to spend the night in composing a song in Erik's honor, hoping that\nin this way he might win his life.\n\nEgil promised to do so and his friend brought him food and drink, bidding\nhim do his best. Anxious to know how he was progressing Arinbjoern visited\nhim in the night.\n\n\"How goes the song?\" he asked.\n\n\"Not a line of it is ready,\" answered Egil. \"A swallow has been sitting\nin the window all the night, screaming and disturbing me, and do what I\nwould I could not drive it away.\"\n\nAt that Arinbjoern darted into the hall, where he saw in the dim light a\nwoman running hastily away. Going back he found that the swallow had\nflown. He was sure now that Queen Gunhild had changed herself into a\nswallow by sorcery, and for the remainder of the night he kept watch\noutside that the bird should not return. When morning broke he found that\nEgil had finished his song.\n\nDetermined to save his friend's life if he could, he armed himself and\nhis men and went with Egil to the palace of the king, where he asked Erik\nfor Egil's life as a reward for his devotion to him when others had\ndeserted him.\n\nErik made no reply, and then Arinbjoern cried out:\n\n\"This I will say. Egil shall not die while I or one of my men remain\nalive.\"\n\n\"Egil has well deserved death,\" replied Erik, \"but I cannot buy his death\nat that price.\"\n\nAs he stopped speaking Egil began to sing, chanting his ode in tones that\nrang loudly through the hall. Famed as a poet, his death song was one of\nthe best he had ever composed, and it praised Erik's valor in all the\nfull, wild strains of the northern verse.\n\nErik heard the song through with unmoved face. When it was done he said:\n\n\"Your song is a noble one, and your friend's demand for your life is\nnobler still. Nor can I be the dastard to kill a man who puts himself of\nhis own will into my hands. You shall depart unharmed. But do not think\nthat I or my sons forgive you, and from the moment you leave this hall\nnever come again under my eyes or the eyes of my sons.\"\n\nEgil thus won his life by his song, which became known as the \"Ransom of\nthe Head.\" Another of his songs, called \"The Loss of the Son,\" is held to\nbe the most beautiful in all the literature of Iceland. He afterwards\nlived long and had many more adventures, and in the end died in his bed\nin Iceland when he was over ninety years of age. Erik died in battle many\nyears earlier, and Gunhild then went to Denmark with her sons. She was to\nmake more trouble for Norway before she died.\n\n\n\n\n_THE SEA-KINGS AND THEIR DARING FEATS._\n\n\nFrom the word _vik_, or bay, comes the word viking, long used to\ndesignate the sea-rovers of the Northland, the bold Norse wanderers who\nfor centuries made their way to the rich lands of the south on plundering\nraids. Beginning by darting out suddenly from hiding places in bays or\nriver mouths to attack passing craft, they in the end became daring\nscourers of the seas and won for themselves kingdoms and dominions in the\nsettled realms of the south.\n\nNothing was known of them in the early days. The people of southern\nEurope in the first Christian centuries hardly knew of the existence of\nthe race of fair-skinned and light-haired barbarians who dwelt in the\ngreat peninsula of the north. It was not until near the year 800 B.C.\nthat these bold brigands learned that riches awaited those who dared\nseize it on the shores of France, England, and more southern lands. Then\nthey came in fleets and spread terror wherever they appeared. For several\ncenturies the realms of civilization trembled before their very name.\n\n\"From the fury of the Northmen, Good Lord deliver us!\" prayed the\npriests, and the people joined fervently in the prayer.\n\nLong before this period the sea was the favorite hunting ground of the\ndaring sons of the north, but the small chiefs of that period preyed upon\neach other, harrying their neighbors and letting distant lands alone. But\nas the power of the chiefs, and their ability to protect themselves\nincreased, this mode of gaining wealth and fame lost its ease and\nattraction and the rovers began to rove farther afield.\n\nSea-kings they called themselves. On land the ruler of a province might\nbe called either earl or king, but the earl who went abroad with his\nfollowers on warlike excursions was content with no less name than king,\nand the chiefs who set out on plundering cruises became from the first\nknown as sea-kings. Pirates and freebooters we would call them to-day,\nbut they were held in high distinction in their native land, and some of\nthe most cruel of them, on their return home, became men of influence,\nwith all the morality and sense of honor known in those early days. Their\nlives of ravage and outrage won them esteem at home and the daring and\nsuccessful sea-king ranked in fame with the noblest of the home-staying\nchiefs. We have seen how King Erik began his career as a viking and ended\nit in the same pursuit; how Rollo, a king's son, adopted the same\nprofession; and from this it may be seen that the term was one of honor\ninstead of disgrace.\n\nFrom all the lands of the north they came, these dreaded sons of the sea,\nfrom Norway, Sweden, and Denmark alike, fierce heathens they who cared\nnought for church or priest, but liked best to rob chapels and\nmonasteries, for there the greatest stores of gold and silver could be\nfound. When the churches were plundered they often left them in flames,\nas they also did the strong cities they captured and sacked. The small,\nlight boats with which they dared the sea in its wrath were able to go\nfar up the rivers, and wherever these fierce and bloodthirsty rovers\nappeared wild panic spread far around. So fond were they of sword-thrust\nand battle that one viking crew would often challenge another for the\npure delight of fighting. A torment and scourge they were wherever they\nappeared.\n\nThe first we hear in history of the sea-kings is in the year 787, when a\nsmall party of them landed on the English coast. In 794 came another\nflock of these vultures of the sea, who robbed a church and a monastery,\nplundering and killing, and being killed in their turn when a storm\nwrecked their ships and threw them on shore. As a good monk writes of\nthem: \"The heathen came from the northern countries to Britain like\nstinging wasps, roamed about like savage wolves, robbing, biting, killing\nnot only horses, sheep, and cattle, but also priests, acolytes, monks,\nand nuns.\"\n\nThe Norsemen had found a gold mine in the south and from this time on\nthey worked it with fierce hands. Few dared face them, and even in the\ndays of the great Charlemagne they ravaged the coast lands of France.\nOnce, when the great emperor was in one of his cities on the\nMediterranean coast, a fleet of the swift viking ships, known by their\nsquare sails, entered the harbor. Soon word was brought that they had\nlanded and were plundering. Who they were the people knew not, some\nsaying that they were Jews, others Africans, and others that they were\nBritish merchants.\n\n\"No merchants they,\" said the emperor. \"Those ships do not bring us\ngoods, but fierce foes, bloody fighters from the north.\"\n\nThe warriors around him at once seized their weapons and hurried to the\nshore, but the vikings had learned that the great emperor was in the city\nand, not daring to face him, had sought their ships and spread their\nsails again. Tears came to the eyes of Charlemagne as he watched them in\ntheir outward flight. He said to those around him:\n\n\"It is not for fear that these brigands can do me any harm that I weep,\nbut for their daring to show themselves on this coast while I am alive.\nTheir coming makes me foresee and fear the harm they may do to my\ndescendants.\"\n\nThis story may be one of those legends which the monks were fond of\ntelling, but it serves to show how the dread Norsemen were feared. France\nwas one of their chief fields of ravage and slaughter. First coming in\nsingle ships, to rob and flee, they soon began to come in fleets and grew\ndaring enough to attack and sack cities. Hastings, one of the most\nrenowned of them all, did not hesitate to attack the greatest cities of\nthe south.\n\nIn 841 this bold freebooter sailed up the Loire with a large fleet, took\nand burned the city of Amboise, and laid siege to Tours. But here the\ninhabitants, aided, it is said, by the bones of their patron saint, drove\nhim off. Four years later he made an attack on Paris, and as fortune\nfollowed his flag he grew so daring that he sought to capture the city of\nRome and force the Pope to crown him emperor.\n\nFor an account of this remarkable adventure of the bold Hastings see the\narticle, \"The Raids of the Sea-Rovers,\" in the German volume of\n\"Historical Tales.\" In that account are also given the chief exploits of\nthe vikings in France and Germany. We shall therefore confine ourselves\nin the remainder of this article to their operations in other lands, and\nespecially in Ireland.\n\nThis country was a common field for the depredations of the Norse rovers.\nFor some reason not very clear to us the early vikings did not trouble\nEngland greatly, but for many years they spread terror through the sister\nisle, and in the year 838 Thorgisl, one of their boldest leaders, came\nwith a fleet of one hundred and twenty ships, with which he attacked and\ncaptured the city of Dublin, and afterwards, as an old author tells us,\nhe conquered all Ireland, securing his conquest with stone forts\nsurrounded with deep moats.\n\nBut the Irish at length got rid of their conqueror by a stratagem. It was\nthrough love that the sea-king was lost. Bewitched with the charms of\nthe fair daughter of Maelsechnail, one of the petty kings of the land,\nhe bade this chieftain to send her to him, with fifteen young maidens in\nher train. He agreed to meet her on an island in Loch Erne with as many\nNorsemen of high degree.\n\nMaelsechnail obeyed, but his maidens were beardless young men, dressed\nlike women but armed with sharp daggers. Thorgisl and his men, taken by\nsurprise, were attacked and slain. The Irish chief had once before asked\nThorgisl how he should rid himself of some troublesome birds that had\ninvaded the island. \"Destroy their nests,\" said the Norseman. It was wise\nadvice, and Maelsechnail put it in effect against the nests of the\nconquerors, destroying their stone strongholds, and killing or driving\nthem away, with the aid of his fellow chieftains.\n\nThus for a time Ireland was freed. It was conquered again by Olaf the\nWhite, who in 852 defeated some Danes who had taken Dublin, and then,\nlike Thorgisl, began to build castles and tax the people. Two other\nviking leaders won kingdoms in Ireland, but Olaf was the most powerful of\nthem all, and the kingdom founded by him lasted for three hundred and\nfifty years. From Dublin Olaf sailed to Scotland and England, the booty\nhe won filling two hundred ships.\n\nThe sea-rovers did not confine their voyages to settled lands. Bold ocean\nwanderers, fearless of man on shore and tempest on the waves, they\nvisited all the islands of the north and dared the perils of the unknown\nsea. They rounded the North Cape and made their way into the White Sea as\nearly as 750. The Faroe, the Orkney and the Shetland Islands were often\nvisited by them after 825, and in 874 they discovered Iceland, which had\nbeen reached and settled by Irishmen or Scots about 800. The Norsemen\nfound here only some Irish hermits and monks, and these, disturbed in\ntheir peaceful retreat by the turbulent newcomers, made their way back to\nIreland and left the Norsemen lords of the land. From Iceland the rovers\nreached Greenland, which was settled in 986, and about the year 1000 they\ndiscovered North America, at a place they named Vinland.\n\nSuch is, briefly told, the story of the early Norse wanderers. They had a\nlater tale, of which we have told part in their conquest of Ireland.\nThough at first they came with a few ships, and were content to attack a\ntown or a monastery, they soon grew more daring and their forces larger.\nA number of them would now fortify themselves on some coast elevation and\nmake it a centre for plundering raids into the surrounding country. At a\nlater date many of them ceased to pose as pirates and took the role of\ninvaders and conquerors, storming and taking cities and founding\ngovernments in the invaded land.\n\nSuch was the work of Thorgisl and Olaf in Ireland and of Rollo in\nNormandy. England was a frequent field of invasion after 833, which\ncontinued until 851, when King Ethelwulf defeated them with great\nslaughter. Fifteen years later they came again, these new invaders being\nalmost all Danes. During all his reign Alfred the Great fought with them,\nbut in spite of his efforts they gained a footing in the island, becoming\nits masters in the north and east. A century later, in 1016, Canute, the\nking of Denmark, completed the conquest and became king of all England.\n\nThis is not the whole story of the sea-kings, whose daring voyages and\nraids made up much of the history of those centuries. One of the most\nimportant events in viking history took place in 862, when three brother\nchiefs, probably from Sweden, who had won fame in the Baltic Sea, were\ninvited by the Russian tribes south of Lake Ladoga to come and rule over\nthem. They did so, making Novgorod their capital. From this grew the\nempire of Russia, which was ruled over by the descendants of Rurik, the\nprincipal of these chiefs, until 1598.\n\nOther vikings made their way southward through Russia and, sailing down\nthe Dnieper, put Constantinople in peril. Only a storm which scattered\ntheir fleet saved the great city from capture. Three times later they\nappeared before Constantinople, twice (in 904 and 945) being bought off\nby the emperors with large sums of money. Later on the emperors had a\npicked body-guard of Varangians, as they called the Northmen, and kept\nthese till the fall of the city in 1453. It was deemed a great honor in\nthe north to serve in this choice cohort at Myklegaard (Great City), and\nthose who returned from there doubtless carried many of the elements of\ncivilization to the Scandinavian shores.\n\nTo some of these Varangians was due the conquest of Sicily by the\nNorthmen. They were in the army sent from Constantinople to conquer that\nisland, and seeing how goodly a land it was they aided in its final\nconquest, which was made by Robert Guiscard, a noble of Normandy, whose\nson Roger took the title of \"King of Sicily and Italy.\" Thus it was that\nthe viking voyages led within a few centuries to the founding of kingdoms\nunder Norse rulers in England, Ireland, Sicily, Russia, and Normandy in\nFrance.\n\n\n\n\n_HAAKON THE GOOD AND THE SONS OF GUNHILD._\n\n\nWe have told how King Haakon succeeded his brother, Erik Blood-Axe, on\nthe throne, and how, from his kindly and gentle nature, people called him\nHaakon the Good. There were other sons and several grandsons of Harold\nthe Fair-Haired in the kingdom, but the new king treated them with\nfriendliness and let them rule as minor kings under him.\n\nHe dealt with the peasants also in the same kindly spirit, giving them\nback their lands and relieving them of the tax which Harold had laid. But\nhe taxed them all in another way, dividing the country into marine\ndistricts, each of which was required to supply the king, on his demand,\nwith a fully equipped warship. Yet as this was for the defence of the\ncountry, the people did not look on it as oppressive. And as Norway had a\nlong mountainous coast, and important events were often long in becoming\nknown, he gave orders that the approach of an enemy should be made known\nby signal fires lighted all along the coast.\n\nHaakon made other wise laws, in which he took the advice of the ablest\nmen of the kingdom. But now we have to speak of the most striking event\nin the new king's career. Norway at that time was a haunt of idolatry.\nMen worshipped Odin and a host of other gods, and there was not a\nChristian in the whole land except the king himself, who had been brought\nup in the new faith by his foster-father, King Athelstan of England.\n\nAn earnest Christian, he looked with sorrow on the rude worship and\nheathen belief of his people, but not until he had been many years on the\nthrone did he venture to interfere with it. Then, about 950, when he had\nwon the love of them all, he took steps to carry out his long-cherished\ndesire.\n\nSending to England for a bishop and a number of priests, the king issued\na decree in which the people were forbidden to make sacrifices to the old\ngods and ordered to accept the Christian faith.\n\nThis came like a thunderbolt to the worshippers of the old gods. To bid a\nwhole nation to give up at a word the religion which they had cherished\nfrom childhood and which their fathers had held for generations before\nthem was too much to demand. The king brought together a concourse of the\npeople and spoke to them of his wish and purpose, but they had no answer\nto make except that the matter must be settled by their legal assembly.\n\nWhen the _thing_, or assembly, was called into session, a great body of\nthe people were present, for never had so important a question been laid\nbefore them. Earnest and imploring was the speech made by the king, in\nwhich he warmly asked them to accept the God of the Christians and give\nup their heathen idols of wood and stone.\n\nThese words were followed by an angry murmur from the multitude, and\nmany dark looks were bent upon the rash monarch. Then a peasant leader,\nAasbjoern of Medalhus, stepped out from the throng and spoke:\n\n\"When you, King Haakon, first called us here before you and we took you\nfor our king, it was with deep gladness, as if heaven had opened to us.\nBut was it liberty we gained, or do you wish to make thralls of us once\nmore, that you ask us to give up the faith of our fathers and forefathers\nfor the new and unknown one you offer? Sturdy men they were, and their\nfaith did well for them and has done well for us. We have learned to love\nyou well and have always kept and will always keep the laws made by you\nand accepted by us. But in this thing which you now demand we cannot\nfollow. If you are so resolved upon it that your mind cannot be changed,\nthen we shall be forced to part from you and choose a new chief who will\nsupport us in worshipping our fathers' gods. Choose, O king, what you\nwill do, before this assembly has dispersed.\"\n\nSo loud were the shouts of approval with which this speech was greeted\nthat not a word could be heard. Then, when quiet reigned again, Earl\nSigurd, who had spoken aside with Haakon, rose and said that the king had\nno wish to lose their friendship and would yield to their wishes. This\nwas not enough to overcome the distrust of the peasants. They next\ndemanded that he should take part in the sacrifices to be given and in\nthe feast to follow. This he felt obliged to do, though he quieted his\nconscience by making the sign of the cross.\n\nWhen the next Yuletide sacrifice came Haakon was required to eat\nhorse-flesh at the feast and this time was forbidden to make the sign of\nthe cross when he drank the usual toasts to the ancient gods of Norway.\nThis was a humiliation that cut the proud monarch deeply and it was with\nan angry soul he left, saying to his attendants that when he came back it\nwould be with an army to punish those who had thus insulted his faith.\nBack he did not come, for new troubles were gathering around him.\n\nTo learn the source of these troubles we must return to the story of Erik\nBlood-Axe and Gunhild, his wicked wife. After Erik's death that\nmischief-loving woman sought Denmark with her sons, who grew up to become\nbrave warriors and daring viking rovers, infesting the coast of Norway\nand giving its king and earls all the trouble they could. At length,\nbacked by Harold Bluetooth, the king of Denmark, their piratical raids\nchanged to open war, and they invaded Norway, hoping to win their\nfather's old kingdom for themselves.\n\nA crisis came in 955. In that year the sons of Erik appeared so suddenly\nwith a large fleet that they took King Haakon by surprise. He had with\nhim only a small force, the signal fires had not been lighted, and the\nenemy were close at hand before he could prepare to meet them.\n\n\"What shall we do?\" he asked his men. \"Shall we stay and fight, or draw\nback and gather men?\"\n\nThe answer came from an old peasant, Egil Woolsack:\n\n\"Often have I fought, King Haakon, with King Harold, your father. Whether\nthe foe was stronger or weaker the victory was always his. Never did he\nask his friends if he should run; nor need you, for we are ready to fight\nand think that we have a brave chieftain for our leader.\"\n\n\"You speak well and wisely, Egil,\" said the king. \"It is not my wish to\nrun, and with your aid I am ready to face the foe.\"\n\n\"Good words those!\" cried Egil joyously. \"It has been so long since I saw\nthe flash of sword that I feared I would die in my bed of old age, though\nit has been my hope to fall in battle at my chieftain's back. Now will my\nwish be gained.\"\n\nTo land came the sons of Erik, having six men to Haakon's one. Seeing how\ngreat were the odds, old Egil tried strategy, leading ten\nstandard-bearers to a hidden spot in the rear of the hostile army and\nleaving them there in ambush. When the armies had met and the fighting\nwas under way, he led these men up a sloping hill until the tops of their\nstandards could be seen above its summit. He had placed them far apart,\nso that when the Danes saw the waving banners it looked like a long line\nof new troops coming upon them. With sudden alarm and a cry of terror\nthey fled towards their ships.\n\nGamle, their leader, was quick to discover the stratagem, and called on\nthem to stop, that it was all a trick; but nothing could check their\npanic flight, and he was swept along with them to the beach. Here a stand\nwas made, but Haakon rushed upon them in a furious attack in which old\nEgil had his wish, for he fell in the storm of sword blows, winning the\ndeath he craved. Victory rested on the king's banners and his foes fled\nto their ships, Gamle, their leader, being drowned in the flight.\n\nFor six years after this the land lay at peace. King Haakon continued a\nChristian and many of his friends joined him in the new faith. But he was\ntoo wise and gentle to attempt again to force his belief upon his people\nand the worship of the heathen gods went on. All the people, nobles and\npeasants alike, loved their king dearly and he would have ended his reign\nin a peaceful old age but for his foes without the kingdom. This is the\nway in which the end came.\n\nIn the summer of the year 961, when Haakon had been twenty-six years on\nthe throne, he with many guests was at feast in the royal mansion of\nFitje, in Hoerdaland. While at table a sentinel brought in the alarming\nnews that a large fleet of ships was sailing up the fiord.\n\nBy the king's side sat Eyvnid, his nephew, who was a famous scald, or\nbard. They rose and looked out on the fiord.\n\n\"What ships are they, of friends or of foes?\" asked the king.\n\nThe scald replied in a verse, in which he sang that the sons of Erik were\ncoming again.\n\n\"Once more they take us unawares,\" said Haakon to his men. \"They are many\nand we are few. Never yet have we faced such odds. The danger lies before\nyou. Are you ready to meet it? I am loath to flee before any force, but I\nleave it to the wise among you to decide.\"\n\nEyvnid sang another verse, to the effect that it would be ill counsel to\nadvise a man like King Haakon to flee from the sons of Gunhild the\nsorceress.\n\n\"That is a man's song,\" cried the king, \"and what you say is what I\nwish.\"\n\nAll around him the warriors shouted their war-cry, and while they ran for\ntheir weapons he put on his armor, seized his sword and shield, and\nplaced on his head a golden helmet that shone brightly in the sun. Never\nhad he looked more like a born king, with his noble and inspired\ncountenance and the bright hair streaming down from under his helmet.\n\nThe battle that followed was fierce and bloody. Harold, Gunhild's third\nson, commanded the invaders, who far outnumbered Haakon's small force.\nAnd now there was no Egil to defeat the foe by stratagem, but the battle\nwas hand to hand and face to face, with stroke of sword and thrust of\nspear, the war-shout of the fighters and the death-wail of the fallen.\n\nKing Haakon that day showed himself a true and heroic warrior. As the\nbattle grew fiercer his spirit rose higher, and when Eyvnid the scald\ngreeted him with a warlike verse, he answered with another. But the\nmidsummer heat growing hard to bear, he flung off his armor and fought\nwith only his strong right arm for shield. The arrows had now been all\nshot, the spears all hurled, and the ranks met hand to hand and sword to\nsword, in desperate affray.\n\nIn the front rank stood the king, his golden helmet making him a shining\nmark for the warriors of the foe.\n\n\"Your helmet makes you a target for the Danish spears,\" cried Eyvnid, and\nhe drew a hood over it to hide its gleam. Skreyja, Harold's uncle, who\nwas storming onward towards the king, now lost sight of him and cried\nout:\n\n\"Where is the Norse king? Has he drawn back in fear? Is he of the golden\nhelmet a craven?\"\n\n\"Keep on as you are coming, if you wish to meet the Norsemen's king,\"\nshouted Haakon, throwing down his shield and grasping his sword with both\nhands, as he sprang out before them all. Skreyja bounded towards him and\nstruck a furious blow, but it was turned aside by a Norse warrior and at\nthe same instant Haakon's sword cleft the foeman's head down to the\nshoulders.\n\nThis kingly stroke gave new spirit to the Norsemen and they rushed with\ndouble fury upon the foe, whom the fall of their best warrior filled with\nfear. Back to the beach they were pressed, many being slain, many\ndrowned, a few only, Harold among them, reaching the ships by swimming.\n\nThe Norsemen had won against fearful odds, but their king was in deadly\nperil. In the pursuit he had been struck in the right arm by an arrow\nwith an oddly-shaped head, and do what they would, the flow of blood\ncould not be stopped. It was afterwards said that Gunhild the sorceress\nhad bewitched the arrow and sent it with orders to use it only against\nKing Haakon.\n\nIn those days it was easy to have men believe tales like that, but,\nwitchcraft or not, the blood still ran and the king grew weaker. As night\ncame death seemed at hand and one of his friends offered to take his body\nto England, after his death, that he might be laid in Christian soil.\n\n\"Not so,\" said Haakon. \"Heathen are my people and I have lived among them\nlike a heathen. See then that I am laid in the grave like a heathen.\"\n\nThus he died, and he was buried as he wished, while all men mourned his\ndeath, even his foes; for before breathing his last he bade his men to\nsend a ship after the sons of Gunhild; asking them to come back and rule\nthe kingdom. He had no sons, he said, and his daughter could not take the\nthrone.\n\nThus death claimed the noblest of the Norsemen, at once heathen and\nChristian, but in his life and deeds as in his death a great and good\nman.\n\n\n\n\n_EARL HAAKON AND THE JOMSVIKINGS._\n\n\nChief among the nobles of Haakon the Good, of Norway, was Earl Sigurd of\nHlade; and first among those who followed him was Earl Haakon, Sigurd's\nson. After the death of Haakon the Good, the sons of Gunhild became the\nmasters of Norway, where they ruled like tyrants, murdering Sigurd, whom\nthey most feared. This made the young Earl Haakon their bitter foe.\n\nA young man then, of twenty-five, handsome, able in mind and body, kindly\nin disposition, and a daring warrior, he was just the man to contend with\nthe tyrant murderers. When he was born Haakon the Good had poured water\non his head and named him after himself and he was destined to live to\nthe level of the honor thus given him.\n\nIt is not our purpose to tell how, with the aid of the king of Denmark,\nhe drove the sons of Gunhild from the realm, and how, as the sagas tell,\nthe wicked old queen was enticed to Denmark by the king, under promise of\nmarriage, and by his orders was drowned in a swamp. Her powers of sorcery\ndid not avail her then, if this story is true.\n\nHaakon ruled Norway as a vassal of Harald Bluetooth, king of Denmark, to\nwhom he agreed to pay tribute. He also consented to be baptized as a\nChristian and to introduce the Christian faith into Norway. But a\nheathen at heart and a Norseman in spirit, he did not intend to keep this\npromise. After a meeting with the Danish king in which his baptism took\nplace, he sailed for his native land with his ship well laden with\npriests. But the heathen in him now broke out. With bold disdain of King\nHarald, he put the priests on shore, and sought to counteract the effect\nof his baptism by a great feast to the old gods, praying for their favor\nand their aid in the war that was sure to follow. He looked for an omen,\nand it came in the shape of two ravens, which followed his ships with\nloud clucking cries. These were the birds sacred to Odin and he hailed\ntheir coming with delight. The great deity of the Norsemen seemed to\npromise him favor and success.\n\nTurning against the king to whom he had promised to act as a vassal, he\nsavagely ravaged the Danish coast lands. Then he landed on the shores of\nSweden, burnt his ships, and left a track of fire and blood as he marched\nthrough that land. Even Viken, a province of Norway, was devastated by\nhim, on the plea of its being under a Danish ruler. Then, having done his\nutmost to show defiance to Denmark and its king, he marched northward to\nDrontheim, where he ruled like a king, though still styling himself Earl\nHaakon.\n\nHarald Bluetooth was not the man to be defied with impunity, and though\nhe was too old to take the field himself, he sought means to punish his\ndefiant vassal. Men were to be had ready and able to fight, if the prize\noffered them was worth the risk, and men of this kind Harald knew where\nto seek.\n\n[Illustration: From stereograph, copyright by Underwood and Underwood,\nN.Y. BUSY FARMERS IN A HILLSIDE FIELD, ABOVE ARE. SWEDEN.]\n\nIn the town of Jomsborg, on the island of Wollin, near the mouth of the\nOder, dwelt a daring band of piratical warriors known as the Jomsvikings,\nwho were famed for their indomitable courage. War was their trade, rapine\ntheir means of livelihood, and they were sworn to obey the orders of\ntheir chief, to aid each other to the utmost, to bear pain unflinchingly,\ndare the extremity of danger, and face death like heroes. They kept all\nwomen out of their community, lest their devotion to war might be\nweakened, and stood ready to sell their swords to the highest bidder.\n\nTo this band of plunderers Harald appealed and found them ready for the\ntask. Their chief, Earl Sigvalde, brought together a great host of\nwarriors at a funeral feast to his father, and there, while ale and mead\nflowed abundantly, he vowed, flagon in hand, that he would drive Earl\nHaakon from the Norse realm or perish in the attempt. His viking\nfollowers joined him in the vow. The strong liquor was in their veins and\nthere was no enterprise they were not ready to undertake. When their\nsober senses returned with the next morning, they measured better the\nweight of the enterprise; but they had sworn to it and were not the men\nto retreat from a vow they had taken.\n\nErik, an unruly son of Earl Haakon, had fled from his father's court in\ndisgrace and was now in Viken, and here the rumor of the vikings' oath\nreached his ears. At once, forgetting his quarrel with his father, he\nhastened north with all the men he could gather to Earl Haakon's aid,\npreceding the Jomsvikings, who were sailing slowly up the shores of\nNorway, plundering as they went in their usual fashion. They had a fleet\nof sixty ships and a force of over seven thousand well-trained warriors.\nHaakon, warned by his son, met them with three times their number of\nships, though these were smaller and lighter craft. On board were about\nten thousand men. Such were the forces that met in what the sagas call\nthe greatest battle that had ever been fought in Norway.\n\nSoon the embattled ships met and the conflict grew fast and furious,\nhurtling weapons filling the air and men falling on all sides. Great was\nthe carnage and blood flowed in streams on the fighting ships. Earl\nHaakon stood in the prow of his ship in the heat of the fight, arrows and\nspears whirling around him in such numbers that his shirt of mail became\nso torn and rent that he threw it off as useless. The high ships of the\nvikings gave them an advantage which told heavily against their\nantagonists, spears and arrows being poured down from their sides.\n\nIn the height of the battle Earl Haakon disappeared. As the legends tell\nhe went ashore with his youngest son Erling, whom he sacrificed to the\nheathen gods to win their aid in the battle. Hardly had he done this deed\nof blood when a dense black cloud arose and a violent hail-storm broke\nover the ships, the hail-stones weighing each two ounces and beating so\nfiercely in the faces of the Jomsvikings as nearly to blind them. Some\nsay that the Valkyries, the daughters of Odin, were seen in the prow of\nthe earl's ship, filling the air with their death-dealing arrows.\n\nDespite the storm and the supernatural terrors that they conjured up, the\nJomsvikings continued to fight, though their decks were slippery with\nblood and melting hail. Only one coward appeared among them, their chief\nEarl Sigvalde, who suddenly turned his ship and fled. When Vagn Aakesson,\nthe most daring of the Jomsvikings, saw this recreant act he was frantic\nwith rage.\n\n\"You ill-born hound,\" he cried, \"why do you fly and leave your men in the\nlurch? Shame on you, and may shame cling to you to your death!\"\n\nA spear hurtled from his hand and pierced the man at the helm, where\nSigvalde had stood a moment before. But the ship of the dastard earl kept\non and a general panic succeeded, all the ships in the fleeing earl's\nline following his standard. Only Vagn Aakesson and Bue the Big were left\nto keep up the fight.\n\nYet they kept it up in a way to win them fame. When Earl Haakon's ship\ndrew up beside that of Bue, two of the viking champions, Haavard the\nHewer and Aslak Rock-skull, leaped on deck and made terrible havoc. In\nthe end an Icelander picked up an anvil that was used to sharpen their\nspears and hurled it at Aslak, splitting his skull, while Haavard had\nboth legs cut off. Yet the indomitable viking fought on, standing on his\nknees.\n\nThe onset of the Jomsvikings was so terrific in this last fierce fight\nthat the earl's men gave back, and might have been all slain had not his\nson Erik boarded Bue's ship at this crisis and made an irresistible\ncharge. A terrible cut across the face severed Bue's nose.\n\n\"Now,\" he cried, \"the Danish maidens will kiss me no more.\"\n\nSeeing that all was at an end, he seized two chests of gold to prevent\ntheir capture by the victors, and sprang with them into the sea,\nshouting:\n\n\"Overboard all Bue's men!\"\n\nOn Vagn's ship a similar fierce fight was taking place, ending only when\nall but thirty of the vikings were slain.\n\nThen a savage scene was enacted, one worthy only of those barbarous\ntimes. The captives were taken ashore and seated on a long log, their\nfeet bound, their hands free. At the funeral feast in Sigvalde's hall\nVagn had boasted that he would kill Thorkill Laiva, one of Erik's chief\nwarriors, and this threatened man was now chosen as executioner.\n\nAt the captives he rushed, with uplifted axe, and savagely struck off\ntheir heads, one after another. Vagn was to be left to the last, that he\nmight suffer from fear, but instead of this he sat joking and laughing\nwith his men. One of them sang and laughed so loudly that Erik asked him\nif he would like to live.\n\n\"That depends on who it is that asks me.\"\n\n\"He who offers has the power to grant. I am Earl Erik.\"\n\n\"Then I gladly accept.\"\n\nAnother made a pun which so pleased the earl that he, too, was set free.\n\nOne of the captives had long, beautiful hair, and as Thorkill came near\nhim on his bloody errand he twisted his hair into a coil and asked the\nexecutioner not to soil it with his blood. To humor him Thorkill asked\none of the bystanders to hold the coil while he struck. The man did so,\nbut as the axe came down the captive jerked his head aside so that the\naxe fell on the wrists of the coil-holder, both his hands being cut off.\n\n\"Some of the Jomsvikings are still alive,\" laughed the captive.\n\n\"Who are you?\" asked Erik.\n\n\"I am said to be a son of Bue.\"\n\n\"Do you wish to live?\"\n\n\"What other choice have I?\"\n\nAt Erik's command he, too, was released.\n\nAngry at being thus robbed of his prey, Thorkill now sprang towards Vagn,\ndetermined that at least his special enemy should fall. As he came near,\nhowever, one of the men on the log threw himself forward in such a way\nthat Thorkill stumbled over him and dropped his axe. In an instant Vagn\nwas on his feet, seized the axe, and dealt Thorkill a deadly blow. His\nboast was kept; Thorkill had fallen by his hand.\n\nErik saw the bold feat with such admiration that he ordered Vagn to be\nfreed, and the prisoners who remained alive were also set free at his\norder.\n\nWhile this was going on Earl Haakon sat apart conversing with his\nchieftains. As they did so they heard a bow-string twang, and before a\nhand could be raised a keen-pointed arrow pierced the body of Gissur the\nWhite, one of the chiefs, and he fell over dead. The arrow had come from\nthe ship of Bue the Big, and thither men ran in haste. What they saw was\nHaavard the Hewer, still standing on his knees, though his blood flowed\nfreely.\n\n\"Tell me,\" he cried, \"did any one fall at the tree yonder?\"\n\n\"Yes; Gissur the White.\"\n\n\"Then luck failed me, for that arrow was aimed for Earl Haakon.\"\n\nAnd he fell over on the deck, with death at his heart-strings. The viking\nhad sent a herald on before, to announce his coming at Odin's court.\n\nIt was Haakon who had ordered the murder of the captives, and Erik his\nson who gave life to so many of them. The time was near at hand when the\nearl was to meet the bloody fate which he had dealt out to others. Though\nErik had done so much to help him in the battle, he was furious with his\nson for sparing the life of Vagn Aakesson. As a result they parted in\nanger, Erik going south again. Here Vagn joined him and from that day\nforward the two were warm friends and comrades.\n\nBut Haakon fell into ways of vice as he grew older, and at length he did\na deed that led him to a shameful death. He had his men bring by force\nto his palace the wife of a rich peasant, and sent them for another, who\nwas famed for her beauty. Orm, her husband, refused to let her go and\nsent news of the outrage to all the peasants in the valley. From farm to\nfarm flew the tidings, and the peasants, furious at the shameful deeds of\nthe earl, seized their arms and gathered in a great band, which marched\nupon him at Medalhus.\n\nEarl Haakon was taken by surprise. He had not dreamed of a revolt and\nonly a few men were with him. These he dismissed and fled for safety,\nonly one man, his old servant Kark, going with him. Reaching the Gaul\nRiver in his flight, he rode his horse into a deep hole and left his\ncloak on the ice, so that his pursuers, finding the dead horse and the\ncloak, might think he was drowned.\n\nFrom there he sought the nearby home of Thora of Rimul, a faithful woman\nfriend, told her of the hot pursuit and begged her to hide him from his\nfurious enemies. The only hiding place she could provide was a deep ditch\nunder her pig-sty, and in this filthy hole the great earl was hidden,\nwith food, candles, and bedding. Then boards were laid over the ditch and\ncovered with earth and upon this the pigs were driven.\n\nTo Rimul the peasants soon came, filled with fury, and with them came a\nman of note who had just landed and was seeking to win the throne. This\nwas Olaf, a great-grandson of Harold the Fair-Haired, whose claim to the\ncrown of Norway was far better than that of Haakon. Thinking that Thora\nhad hidden the fleeing earl the pursuers searched the whole place. The\nfugitive not being found, Olaf stood on a large stone near the pig-sty\nand called the peasants around him, loudly announcing that any man who\nshould find and slay Earl Haakon would be given a large reward.\n\nHis words were plainly heard in the damp and unpleasant underground den\nwhere Haakon sat shivering. He looked at Kark, the thrall, whose face\nshowed that he, too, had heard the promise of reward.\n\n\"What ails you?\" asked the earl. \"Your face changes from pale to dark and\ngloomy. Do you propose to betray me?\"\n\n\"No,\" said Kark.\n\n\"We were born on the same night, and if one of us dies the other will\nsoon follow,\" said the earl warningly.\n\nFor a long time they sat, listening to the sounds above. At length all\ngrew still and they felt that the night had come. Kark fell asleep, but\nthe earl sat awake, watching him in deep distrust. The slumbering thrall\ntossed about as if in pain and the earl wakened him, asking of what he\nhad dreamt.\n\n\"I dreamed that you and I were on shipboard and that I was at the helm.\"\n\n\"That means that you rule over both our lives. Therefore, Kark, you must\nbe true and faithful to me, as duty bids you. Better days will soon come\nto us both and then you shall be richly rewarded.\"\n\nAgain the thrall fell asleep and again he seemed to dream. The earl woke\nhim again.\n\n\"Of what did you dream?\" he asked.\n\n\"I dreamed that I was at Hlade and that Olaf Tryggvesson put a golden\nring around my neck.\"\n\n\"That means,\" said the earl, \"that if you seek Olaf he will put a red\nring [a ring of blood] around your neck. Beware of him, Kark, and trust\nin me. Be faithful to me and you will find in me a faithful friend.\"\n\nThe night dragged slowly on. The earl dared not let himself sleep, but\nsat staring at Kark, who stared back at him. When morning was near at\nhand weariness lay so heavily on the earl that he could no longer keep\nawake. But his sleep was sorely disturbed by the terrors of that dreadful\nnight. He tossed about and screamed out in distress and at length rose on\nhis knees with the horrors of nightmare in his face.\n\nThen Kark, who had all night been meditating treachery, killed him with a\nthrust of his knife. Cutting off his head, he broke out of the dark den\nand sought Olaf, with the grisly trophy in his hand.\n\nOlaf heard his story with lowering face. It was not to traitors like this\nthat he had offered reward. In the end, burning with indignation at the\nbase deed, he ordered the thrall's head to be struck off. Thus Kark's\ndream, as interpreted by Haakon, came true. The ring put by Olaf around\nhis neck was not one of gold, but one of blood.\n\n\n\n\n_HOW OLAF, THE SLAVE-BOY, WON THE THRONE._\n\n\nMany sons had Harold the Fair-Haired, and of some of them the story has\nbeen told. One of them, Olaf by name, left a son named Tryggve, who in\nturn had a son to whom he gave his father's name of Olaf. Wonderful was\nthe story of this Olaf in his youth and renowned was it in his age, for\nhe it was who drove the heathen gods from Norway and put Christ in their\nplace. But it is the strange and striking adventures of his earlier days\nwith which this tale has to deal.\n\nPrince Tryggve had his enemies and by them was foully murdered. Then they\nsought his dwelling, proposing to destroy his whole race. But Aastrid,\nhis wife, was warned in time, and fled from her home with Thorold, her\nfoster-father. She hid on a little island in the Rand fiord, and here was\nborn the son who was afterwards to become one of Norway's most famous\nkings.\n\nThe perils of Aastrid were not yet at an end. Gunhild, the sorceress\nqueen, was her chief enemy, and when her spies brought her word that\nAastrid had borne a son, the wicked old woman sought to destroy the\nchild.\n\nThe summer through Aastrid remained on the little isle, hiding in the\nweedy bushes by day and venturing abroad only at night. Everywhere\nGunhild's spies sought her, and when autumn came with its long nights,\nshe left the isle and journeyed with her attendants through the land,\nstill hiding by day and travelling only under the shades of night. In\nthis way she reached the estate of her father, Erik Ofrestad.\n\nThe poor mother was not left in peace here, the evil-minded sorceress\nstill pursuing her. A body of murderers was sent to seek for her and her\nson on her father's estate, but Ofrestad heard of their mission in time\nto send the fugitives away. Dressed as beggars, Aastrid and her child and\nThorolf, her foster-father, travelled on foot from the farm, stopping at\nevening to beg food and shelter from a peasant named Bjoern. The surly\nfellow drove them away, but they were given shelter farther on by a\npeasant named Thorstein.\n\nMeanwhile the murderers were hot on their track. Not finding Aastrid at\nher father's house, they traced her to Bjoern's farm, where they were told\nthat a handsome but poorly dressed woman, carrying a young child, had\nasked for help that evening. It chanced that a servant of Thorstein\noverheard this and when he reached home he told it to his master.\nSuspecting the rank and peril of his guests, Thorstein roused them from\nsleep with a great show of anger and drove them out into the night. This\nwas done to deceive the servants, but Thorstein followed the weary\nfugitives and told them the reason of his act. He had driven them out to\nsave them, he said, and he gave them a trusty guide who could show them\nthe best hiding places in the forest. They found shelter for that night\namid the tall rushes by the side of a small lake.\n\nWhen the troop of murderers reached Thorstein's house he set them astray\non the wrong scent and he fed the fugitives in the forest until the\nmurderous gang had given up the search. In the end he aided them to make\ntheir way to Sweden, where they took refuge with a friend of Prince\nTryggve named Haakon the Old.\n\nStill the wicked queen did not let them rest in peace. Learning where\nthey were, she sent two embassies to King Erik of Sweden, demanding the\nsurrender of the mother and child. Each time Erik gave them permission to\ncapture the fugitives if they could, saying that he would not interfere.\nBut Haakon the Old was not the man to surrender his guests. In vain\nGunhild's ambassador came to him with promises and threats. The dispute\nat length grew so hot that a half-witted servant seized a dung-fork and\nrushed at the ambassador, who took to his heels, fearing to have his fine\nclothes soiled. The angry thrall pursued him till he was driven off the\nestate, Haakon looking on with grim mirth.\n\nSuch were the early days of little Olaf, whose life began in a series of\nadventures which were the prologue to a most stirring and active life.\nFew men have had a more adventurous career than he, his whole life being\none of romance, activity and peril. He became a leading hero of the saga\nwriters, who have left us many striking stories of his young life and\nadventures.\n\nAastrid and her son remained with Haakon the Old until Earl Haakon came\ninto power in Norway. As he was not of royal blood, she feared that he\nmight seek to destroy all the descendants of old King Harold, and, in\ndoubt if her present protector was strong enough to defend her, she\ndecided to seek refuge in Russia, where her brother Sigurd had risen to a\nplace of power.\n\nWith this voyage young Olaf's later series of adventures began. The\nmerchant ship in which they set sail was taken by a viking pirate craft,\nsome of the passengers being killed and others sold as slaves. Thorolf\nand his young son Thorgills, with the boy Olaf, were sold to a viking\nnamed Klerkon, who killed Thorolf because he was too old to bring any\nprice as a slave, but kept the boys, whom he soon traded away in Esthonia\nfor a big ram. As for Aastrid, she was offered for sale at the\nslave-market, and here, despite her ragged and miserable plight, she was\nrecognized by a rich merchant named Lodin. He offered to pay her ransom\nif she would become his wife. The poor woman, not knowing what had become\nof her son, was glad to accept his offer and returned with him to his\nhome in Norway.\n\nTo return to the story of the boy slaves, the man who had bought them for\na ram, soon sold them for a coat and cape to a man named Reas. The new\nmaster put Thorgills to hard labor, but took a fancy to Olaf and treated\nhim much more kindly, the young prince remaining with him for six years\nand growing up to be a handsome and sturdy youth.\n\nSigurd Eriksson, Aastrid's brother, and the uncle of Olaf, was a man of\nprominence in Esthonia, and one day rode on business of King Vladimir\nthrough the town in which Reas lived. Here he saw some boys playing, one\nof whom attracted him by his manly and handsome face. Calling him to his\nhorse's side, he asked his name.\n\n\"Olaf,\" said the boy.\n\nOlaf! The name was significant to Sigurd, and a few words more taught him\nthat the lad was his lost nephew. Seeking Reas, he offered him a good\nprice for his two young slaves and took them home with him, bidding Olaf\nnot to tell any one else who he was.\n\nThe boy was now well-grown, active, and strong for his years. Walking one\nday about the town he saw before him the viking Klerkon who had killed\nold Thorolf, his foster-father. He had at the moment an axe in his hand\nand, with no thought but that of revenge on the murderer, he struck him a\nblow that split his skull and stretched him dead on the ground.\n\nThe boy was in peril of his life for this impulsive deed. Death was its\nlegal penalty, and a crowd quickly gathered who demanded that the boy\nmurderer should be killed. His uncle heard of the act and ran in haste to\nhis rescue, taking him to Olga, the queen, and telling her who he was,\nwhat he had done, and why he had done it.\n\nThe queen looked at the beautiful and bright-faced lad and took a great\nfancy to him at sight. She took him under her protection, and gave him a\ntraining in the use of arms and warlike sports, such as beseemed the\nscion of a royal race. When twelve years of age King Vladimir, who\nesteemed the boy highly, gave him some armed ships and sent him out to\ntry his hand in real war, and for some years he roved abroad as a viking.\nHe also served the king well by conquering for him a rebel province.\n\nOlaf might have won high rank in Russia but for the enemies who envied\nhim and who made the king fear that he would yet find a rival for the\nthrone in the ambitious boy. Fearing trouble for her protege, Queen Olga\nadvised him to leave the kingdom and he sailed for the land of the Wends,\non the Baltic shores, where King Burislav received him as a distinguished\nyoung warrior. He did not tell who he really was, but went under the name\nof Ole the Russian, and as such married the daughter of the king, who\nfell in love with him for his valor and beauty. Many were the valiant\ndeeds he did for King Burislav, with whom he stayed until the death of\nhis wife, he being then twenty-one years of age.\n\nThe young warrior now grew eager for new adventures, and in response to a\ndream determined to go to Greece and become a Christian. His dream\nserved the cause of Christianity better than this, if the story is true\nthat he sent a missionary bishop to Russia who converted both King\nVladimir and Queen Olga to the Christian faith.\n\n[Illustration: From stereograph, copyright by Underwood and Underwood,\nN.Y. A NORDFJORD BRIDE AND GROOM WITH GUESTS AND PARENTS. BRIGSDAL.\nNORWAY.]\n\nFrom Greece Olaf wandered to many countries, including France, Denmark,\nScotland, and Northumberland, and his adventures were very numerous. He\nwas twenty-five years of age when he reached England and here he met with\nan adventure of a new type. The Princess Gyda, sister of an Irish king,\nwas a widow, but was still young and beautiful and had so many suitors\nthat it was hard for her to choose between them. Among the most\nimportunate was a warrior named Alfvine, a great slayer of men.\n\nSo many were they and so much did they annoy the fair widow that at last\nshe fixed a day when she would choose a husband from among them, and\nnumbers of them came before her, all in their most splendid attire. It\nwas a championship that attracted many lookers on and among them came\nOlaf with some of his companions. He was plainly dressed, and wore a fur\nhood and cape. Gyda stood forth and looked over her throng of lovers with\nlistless eyes until at length she saw among the spectators the tall\nstranger with the hood of fur. She walked up to him, lifted the hood, and\ngazed long into his eyes. What she saw there riveted her fancy.\n\n\"I do not know you,\" she said; \"but if you will have me for a wife, then\nyou are my choice.\"\n\nOlaf must have seen as much in her eyes as she had in his, for he warmly\nreplied:\n\n\"I know no woman who equals you, and gladly will I accept you.\"\n\nAt once their betrothal was published, but Alfvine, burning with wrath,\nchallenged the fortunate stranger to mortal combat. Fierce and long was\nthe fight, but Norse blood and valor conquered and Gyda was enraptured\nwith the courage and skill of her spouse. They were duly wedded and Olaf\nspent several years in England and Ireland, winning fame there as a\ndoughty champion and growing ever more earnest in the Christian faith.\n\nIn the chronicles of the time we are told much of the doings of the\ndoughty Olaf, who won fame as the chieftain of a viking fleet, which in\n994 made many descents upon the English coast. In the end he landed in\nSouthampton and fixed his winter quarters there, living upon the country.\nHe was finally bought off by King Ethelred with L10,000, which he divided\namong his men. He received confirmation in the Christian faith the same\nyear, King Ethelred being present, and took a solemn vow, which he never\nbroke, that he would never again molest England and her people.\n\nOlaf's name was no longer concealed and the fame of his deeds reached\nNorway, where they gave no small trouble of mind to Earl Haakon, who\ndreaded this young adventurer of royal descent, knowing well how much the\npeople loved King Harold and his race. Haakon went so far as to try to\ncompass his death, sending his friend Thore Klakka to Dublin, where Olaf\nthen was, to kill him if he could, otherwise to entice him to Norway when\nhe would himself destroy him.\n\nThe latter Thore did, finding Olaf ready for any new adventure, and under\nThore's treacherous advice he sailed with five ships and landed in\nHoerdaland, where Haakon's power was the greatest, and thence sailed\nnorthward to Troendelag where the earl was and where he hoped to take him\nby surprise.\n\nThore had represented that Olaf would find friends in plenty there, and\nmuch to his own surprise found that he had told more truth than he knew;\nfor, as told in the last tale, the peasants were then in arms and in\npursuit of the recreant earl. They gladly accepted Olaf as their leader,\non learning who he was, and helped him in the quick and sudden downfall\nand death of Haakon, as already described.\n\nAll the chiefs and peasants of the district were now summoned to meet in\nassembly and with one voice they chose Olaf Tryggvesson, great-grandson\nof the renowned Harold, as their king. All Norway confirmed their action\nand thus easily did the adventurer prince, who had once been a slave-boy,\nsold for half a fat ram, rise to the throne of Norway.\n\n\n\n\n_OLAF DETHRONES ODIN AND DIES A HERO._\n\n\nEarl Haakon was the last heathen king of Norway. Olaf, the new king, was\na zealous Christian and was determined to introduce the new faith. And\nthis was done not in the mild and gentle way in which Haakon the Good had\nattempted it, but with all the fierce fury of the viking spirit. Christ\nthe White the Northmen called the new deity, but it was rather Christ the\nRed in Olaf's hands, for, while Christian in faith, he was a son of the\nold gods, Odin and Thor, in spirit.\n\nIt is not the Christianizing of Norway that we have set out to tell, but\nas this is a matter of great importance some space must be given to it.\nOlaf, high spirited and impetuous, did by storm what he might not have\nbeen able to do by milder measures. He had little trouble in the south of\nNorway, where the Christian faith had been making its way for years, but\nin the north the old heathen spirit was strong, sacrifices to the gods\nwere common, and the rude and cruel barbarism which the old doctrines\nfavored everywhere prevailed. Here it was that Olaf had a strong fortress\nof heathenism to take by storm.\n\nIn Troendelag was the temple of Hlade, ancient and grand, the stronghold\nof the Norse gods. Fierce and impulsive in his zeal, Olaf broke into this\nold temple, destroyed the altar, burned the idols, and carried away the\ntreasure. At once the people were in arms, but the resolute king began to\nbuild a Christian church where the temple had stood and also a\nfortress-like residence for himself.\n\nIn the end the peasants grew so fierce and warlike and were so backed up\nby a lusty chieftain named Ironbeard, that Olaf found himself obliged to\npromise to take part with them in the feast and sacrifices of the coming\nYuletide.\n\nBut before this time arrived he appeared again at Hlade and he now\nbrought with him a strong fleet and numerous armed warriors. Many guests\nhad been invited to meet him, and these were entertained until they were\nall royally drunk. Then the king said to them:\n\n\"I have promised to sacrifice with you, and am here to keep my word. I\npropose to make a royal sacrifice, not of thralls and criminals, but of\nlords and chieftains, for thus we can best do honor to Odin.\"\n\nHe then selected six of his most powerful opponents and said that he\nintended to sacrifice them to Odin and Frey, that the people might have\ngood crops. The dismayed chiefs were instantly seized and were offered\nthe alternative of being sacrificed or baptized. Taken by surprise, they\nwere not long in deciding upon the latter, the king making them give\nhostages for their good faith.\n\nSoon after came the Yuletide and Olaf was present with a strong force at\nMoere, where the sacrifices were to be made. The peasants also came in\nforce, all armed, with the burly Ironbeard as their leader. They were\nrude and noisy and it was some time before the king could make himself\nheard. Then he called on them all to accept baptism and acknowledge\nChrist the White in place of their bloodthirsty gods. Ironbeard haughtily\nreplied that they were supporters of the old laws and that the king must\nmake the sacrifices as all the kings before him had done.\n\nOlaf heard him through and said that he was there to keep his promise.\nThen, with many men, he entered the temple, leaving his arms outside as\nthe law required. All he carried was a stout, gold-headed stick. Stopping\nbefore the statue of the god Thor, around which were rings of gold and\niron, he raised the stick and gave the idol a blow so fierce and strong\nthat it tumbled in pieces from its pedestal. At the same moment his\nfollowers struck down the other idols. The peasants, thunderstruck at the\nsacrilege, looked for support to Ironbeard, but the doughty warrior lay\ndead. He had shared the fate of the idols he worshipped, being struck\ndown at the same moment with them. What to do the peasants knew not, and\nwhen Olaf told them they must either be baptized or fight they chose the\nformer as the safest. The province of Haalogaland, still farther north,\nwas dealt with in the same arbitrary fashion, those of the chiefs who\nrefused baptism being put to death with torture. And in this fierce and\nbloody way the dominion of Christ the White was established in the land\nof the vikings. It was but a substitute for the heathen gods that was\ngiven them in such a fashion, and years had to pass before they would\nbecome true Christians.\n\nMuch more might be said about King Olaf, his kindliness and winning\nmanners in peace, his love of show and splendor, his prowess in battle\nand his wonderful skill with weapons. He could use both hands with equal\neffect in fighting, could handle three spears at once, keeping one always\nin the air, and when his men were rowing could run from prow to stern of\nthe ship on their oars. But what we have chiefly to tell is the last\nadventure of the viking king and how death came to him in the heat of the\nfray.\n\nWhat became of his wife Gyda, the Irish princess, we are not told, but he\nhad now a new wife, Thyra, sister of King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark, and\nit was to this queen he owed his death. She had large estates in Wendland\nand Denmark, from which she now received no revenues, and she fretted\nOlaf so by appeals, prayers, and tears to win back for her this property\nthat he had no peace in his palace. The annoyance went on until the\nhot-tempered king could bear it no longer and he began to prepare for war\nabroad that he might gain peace at home.\n\nWord was sent out to the chiefs of the land, bidding them to join the\nking with the ships required by the laws of the kingdom. Among his own\nships was one called the Short Serpent, and he had just finished another\nof great size and beauty which he named the Long Serpent. Never had so\nnoble a ship been seen in the north. It was 112 feet long and had 104\noars, while it could carry six hundred warriors, none being over sixty or\nunder twenty years of age except the great bowman Thambarkskelver, who\nwas but eighteen, yet was so skilful with the bow that he could shoot a\nblunt arrow through a hanging raw ox-hide.\n\nWith sixty ships and as many transports Olaf sailed south to Wendland,\nwhere he was well received by his old friend King Burislav, whose\ndaughter Geira had been his first wife. The Wend king royally entertained\nhim and made a just settlement of Queen Thyra's estates, and Olaf\nprepared to sail homeward again. But dark clouds of war were gathering on\nhis path.\n\nSweyn Forkbeard of Denmark was hostile both to Burislav and Olaf and the\nking of Sweden was leagued with the Danish king. To detain Olaf while\nthey gathered their fleets, these kings employed Sigvalde, the cowardly\nchief of the Jomsvikings, who had fled from the battle with Earl Haakon,\nto visit and lure him into blind confidence.\n\nThe treacherous viking succeeded. His smooth, soft ways won Olaf's heart\nand the open-minded king put complete trust in him. Sigvalde finally,\nafter bringing about much delay by his false arts, engaged to pilot Olaf\nwith his own fleet through the dangerous waters of the coast, and even\ninduced him to divide his ships by sending part of them in advance.\n\nThe traitor meanwhile kept in communication with King Sweyn and promised\nto lure Olaf away from his main force and lead him into the snare they\nwere laying for him. Chief among the enemies of the Norse king was Earl\nErik, the son of Earl Haakon, whom he was eager to avenge, and King Olaf\nthe Swede, who was present with a fleet.\n\nWith sixty or seventy ships of war these foes of Norway's king lay hidden\nbehind the little island of Svolder, in Olaf's track. For a number of\ndays they awaited him with impatience. At last Olaf's transports appeared\nwithin view of the leaders of the hostile fleet, who were posted at an\nelevated point on the land.\n\nThe day was fair, the wind gentle and favorable, and the foremost ships\nsailed onward, seeing nothing of the foes. When King Sweyn saw among them\na large and handsome ship he was sure it must be the Long Serpent, and\nsaid:\n\n\"Olaf of Norway is afraid to-day, for he carries no dragon-head on his\nship.\"\n\n\"That is not the king's ship,\" said Earl Erik, \"but that of Erling of\nSole. I know it by its striped sails. Let it pass, for it will be better\nfor us to have Erling out of the fray.\"\n\nOn, one by one, came the Norse ships, sweeping proudly by, and at length\nSigvalde's eleven ships came in sight. These, signalled from the shore,\nsuddenly turned inward round the island, to the surprise of Thorkill\nDyrdill, captain of the Crane, which followed in their wake. Seeing this\nfine ship, Sweyn grew eager for the fight and ordered his men on board in\nspite of Erik's warning that the time had not yet arrived.\n\n\"Are you afraid of them?\" sneered the Dane. \"Have you lost all desire to\navenge your father?\"\n\n\"Wait and you will see,\" retorted Erik. \"Before the sun sets you will\nfind who is most eager for battle, I, or you and your men.\"\n\nWhen Thorkill saw the treacherous act of Sigvalde and caught sight of the\nambushed fleet, he let fall the sails of the Crane and awaited the coming\nof the king. Soon the Short Serpent came up, its gilded dragon-head\nshining brightly in the sunlight. Not long after the Long Serpent\nappeared, its golden prow glittering brilliantly as the sunbeams fell\nupon it. Those who saw it marvelled at its size and beauty and many\nbeheld with dread the glittering array of swords and shields as it came\nsweeping onward.\n\nBut the great body of King Olaf's ships had gone on without thought of a\nfoeman and were now out of sight. Only eleven of them remained, and some\nof his captains advised him not to fight against such odds.\n\n\"Down with the sails,\" he cried cheerily. \"Bind the ships together. Never\nyet have I fled from battle and I will not do so now. God is my shield\nand I will flee from no foe. He is no king who lets fear put him to\nflight before his enemies.\"\n\nYet his peril was deadly, as was evident when the fleet of more than\nsixty ships rowed out from its ambush against Olaf's eleven.\n\n\"Who is the leader here before us?\" he asked.\n\n\"That is King Sweyn with his Danes,\" said one of the men.\n\n\"Let them come on. Danes have never yet beaten Norsemen, and they will\nnot to-day. But whose standards are those on the right?\"\n\n\"They are those of Olaf of Sweden.\"\n\n\"The heathen Swedes had better have stayed at home to lick their\nsacrificial bowls. We need not fear these horse-eaters. Yonder to the\nleft; whose ships are those?\"\n\n\"They belong to Earl Erik, the son of Earl Haakon.\"\n\n\"Then we may look for hard blows from them. Erik and his men are Norsemen\nlike ourselves, and he has reason not to love me and mine.\"\n\nWhile he spoke Queen Thyra, who was with him, came on deck. When she saw\nthe desperate odds she burst into tears.\n\n\"Do not weep,\" said Olaf. \"You have got what was due in Wendland; and\nto-day I will do my best to win your rights from your brother Sweyn.\"\n\nKing Sweyn came first into the fray, but after a stubborn fight was\ndriven off with great carnage. Then the Swedes swarmed to the rescue, and\na second hard battle ensued, in which the Norsemen were outnumbered ten\nto one. Yet Olaf, with shining helmet and shield and a tunic of scarlet\nsilk over his armor, directed the defence, and gave his men such courage\nby his fierce valor that the victory would have been his but for Earl\nErik.\n\nWhen Erik's great galley, the Iron Ram, came into the fight and Norse met\nNorse, the onset was terrific. Greatly outnumbered, worn out with their\nexertions, and many of them bleeding from wounds, the men in ship after\nship were overpowered and these cut adrift, their defenders being slain.\nAt length only the Long Serpent remained, and against it was driven the\nIron Ram.\n\nThere was little wind and the damage was not great, and soon the storm of\nspears and arrows was resumed. Einer Thambarkskelver, the famous bowman,\nsaw Earl Erik in the prow of his ship screened by the shields of his men,\nand soon Einer's arrows were hurtling around him.\n\n\"Shoot that tall bowman,\" said Erik to one of his own archers.\n\nAn arrow sped and hit Einer's bow in the middle, breaking it in twain.\n\n\"What is broke?\" asked Olaf, hearing the sound.\n\n\"Norway broke then from your hands, my king,\" said Einer.\n\n\"Not so bad as that; take my bow and try what it is worth.\"\n\nEiner caught the bow, bent it double, and threw it back.\n\n\"It is too weak,\" he said.\n\nDesperate was now the strait and no escape was possible. Olaf sent his\nspears hurtling on Erik's crowded deck, but he saw that his men were\nscarce able to hold their own.\n\n\"Your swords bite poorly,\" he said. \"Have your arms lost their strength?\"\n\n\"No,\" was the reply, \"but our blades are dull and notched.\"\n\nThe king ran forward, opened a chest, and flung out armfulls of bright,\nsharp swords.\n\n\"Here is what will bite deeply,\" he said.\n\nBut victory was now hopeless; the earl's men swept back the tired\nwarriors; blood flowed from under the king's armor; all hands were bent\nagainst him, for he loomed above his men. Kolbjoern, a man who resembled\nthe king, sprang to his side and helped him shrewdly in the fray.\n\nStill the stern combat went on, still the weapons flew, still men fell\ngroaning, and as the king looked along his deck he saw that only eight\nmen kept their feet besides himself and his companion. All was lost.\nRaising the shield above his head, he leaped over the ship's side.\nKolbjoern followed and was picked up by the earl's men, who took him to be\nthe king. As for Olaf, the hungry sea swallowed his form.\n\nLegend tells us, indeed, that he was rescued by a ship sent to his aid by\nAastrid, Earl Sigvalde's wife, and that he made a pilgrimage to Rome and\nlong afterwards lived as a hermit in the Holy Land. But that is one of\nthe stories based on good wishes rather than sound facts.\n\nIt was in the year 1000, when King Olaf was thirty-six years old, that\nthis famous sea-fight took place. Queen Thyra felt that she had caused\nhis death and could not be consoled. Erik treated her kindly and promised\nher the honors due to her high estate, but her heart was broken by her\nloss, and nine days afterwards she died.\n\n\n\n\n_OLAF THE SAINT AND HIS WORK FOR CHRIST._\n\n\nThe story of Olaf the Saint, the Norse king who comes next into our view,\nillustrates the barbarous character of the heathen people with whom we\nare dealing. Few warriors in those days died in their beds, death coming\nto them in some more violent form. Olaf's grandfather, a son of Harold\nthe Fair-Haired, was killed by his brother, Erik Blood-Axe, and his\nfather was burned alive by a royal widow whom he sought to marry. Many\nwooers came to seek her hand and she got rid of them by setting on fire\nthe hall in which they slept.\n\n\"I'll teach these little kings the risk of proposing to me,\" said this\nviking widow.\n\nA proud little fellow was Olaf, hot of temper and bearing no opposition.\nHe knew that he was of kingly birth, and despised his step-father Sigurd\nSyr, also a descendant of King Harold, but caring more for his crops than\nfor the dreams of ambition. Once, when Olaf was ten years old, Sigurd\nsent him to the stable to saddle and bring out his horse. When he came\nout he led a big goat, on which he had placed the saddle.\n\n\"Why do you do that?\" he was asked.\n\n\"Oh, the goat is good enough for him, for he is as much like a king as a\ngoat is like a war-horse.\"\n\nThe boy was only twelve when he began to take part in the cruises of the\nvikings, and in these quickly showed himself brave and daring. When he\ngrew to a ripe age and found that the rule of Norway was divided between\ntwo young men, successors of the Olaf whose story we have last told, he\ndetermined to strike for the throne.\n\nThe story of how he won the throne is interesting, but must be dealt with\nhere very briefly, as we have rather to do with the story of how he lost\nit. Olaf was fortunate at the start, for he captured a ship on which Earl\nErik, one of these boy kings, was sailing along the coast.\n\nA beautiful youth he was, tall and shapely, with silky golden hair which\nfell in long curls over his shoulders. Proud he was too, and answered his\ncaptor's questions with manly resolution.\n\n\"Your luck has left you and you are in my power,\" said Olaf; \"what shall\nI do with you?\"\n\n\"That depends on you,\" answered the fearless young earl.\n\n\"What will you do if I let you go unharmed?\"\n\n\"What do you wish me to do?\"\n\n\"Only this, that you leave your country and renounce your claim of\nkingship, and that you swear never to make war on me.\"\n\nTo this young Erik agreed and sailed away to England to join his uncle,\nCanute the Dane, who was then king of both Denmark and England.\n\nWith the other young king, Earl Sweyn, Olaf did not find his task so\neasy, since Sweyn fought for his rights in a naval battle in which he had\nforty-five ships and three thousand men, while Olaf had less than half\nthat number of men and ships. Olaf won the battle by a shrewd stratagem.\nHe told his men to act at first only on the defensive, holding back their\nweapons until the enemy had thrown away theirs.\n\nOn came Earl Sweyn's fleet, fiercely attacking that of Olaf, a cloud of\nspears and arrows filling the air. As none came back from Olaf's men,\ntheir opponents fancied they were afraid, and rushed on them eagerly. But\nby this time their spears and arrows had grown scarce, and when a storm\nof these came from the opposite side they were taken by surprise and many\nof them killed. Wild with fear, they now sought to escape, and in the end\ntheir whole fleet broke and fled, leaving victory to the new king.\n\nSweyn fled to Sweden, whose king promised him help to regain his kingdom.\nBut he died before his plans were ripe and Olaf was left without a rival\nexcept the king of Sweden, who had won a part of Norway in a former\nbattle and now held it. This source of trouble was settled by the Swedes\nthemselves, who had no fancy for fighting to help their king's ambition,\nand forced him to agree to yield his claim and give his daughter Ingegerd\nto Olaf for wife. So by a marriage Olaf won the remainder of his kingdom\nand became ruler over all Norway; but not by marrying Ingegerd, for he\nchose instead her sister Aastrid.\n\nThere is a pretty story told just here in the sagas, or historical tales\nof the Icelanders. Thus it reads: Sigurd Syr, who had married Olaf's\nmother Aasta, died in 1018, and Olaf came to her house to help in\nsettling her affairs. She had three boys, Guttorm, Halfdan, and Harold,\nwhom she brought into the hall to introduce to their half-brother, the\nking. Olaf put the two older ones on his knees and made so fierce a face\nat them that they ran away sadly scared. Then he took up little Harold\nand stared at him in the same way. The brave youngster was not so easily\nfrightened as his brothers and stared back at the king. Then Olaf pulled\nhis hair, but the daring youngster pulled his beard in exchange.\n\n\"He will do,\" said Olaf, setting him down with a laugh.\n\nThe next day the king and his mother watched the boys at their play. The\nolder two amused themselves by building barns, in which they put toy cows\nand sheep; but Harold launched mock boats on a pond and watched them\ndrift away.\n\n\"What do you call them?\" asked Olaf.\n\n\"Ships of war,\" said the boy.\n\n\"Good lad,\" answered the king; \"the day will come when you will command\nreal ships.\"\n\nCalling the boys to him, he asked Guttorm, the oldest, what he most\nwished for.\n\n\"Land,\" said the boy.\n\n\"How much?\"\n\n\"Enough to sow as much grain every summer as would cover the headland\nyonder.\"\n\nTen large farms covered the headland in question.\n\n\"And what do you most desire?\" the king asked Halfdan.\n\n\"Enough cows to cover the shores of the headland when they went to the\nwater to drink.\"\n\n\"So; one wants land and the other cattle; and what do you want, Harold?\"\n\n\"Men,\" said the boy.\n\n\"How many?\"\n\n\"Enough to eat up in a single dinner all brother Halfdan's cows.\"\n\n\"Come, mother,\" said Olaf, laughing; \"you have here a chap in training to\nmake himself a king.\"\n\nSo it proved, for in later days Harold rose to be king of Norway.\n\nBut now we have to tell from what the king gained his title of Olaf the\nSaint. It came from his warm endeavors to make Norway a Christian land.\nThe former King Olaf had forced his people to be baptized, but the most\nof them were heathens at heart still and after his death many began to\nworship the old gods again. It was the second Olaf that made the\nChristian secure in the land, and this still more by his death than by\nhis life.\n\nWhen he was still an infant the former King Olaf had baptized him and\ngiven him his own name, and the time came when his little namesake took\nup and finished his work. What most troubled the kings of Norway in that\nage was the power held by the tribal chiefs, who were difficult to\ncontrol and ready to rebel; and this power came from the fact that they\nwere not only chiefs, but were the priests of the old religion. As\npriest-kings their people followed them blindly, and no king could be\nsure of his crown while this system prevailed.\n\nOlaf, who had been brought up in the new faith, set himself earnestly to\nspread the true principles of Christ's teachings through the land and for\nyears he worked at it earnestly. But he had hard metal to deal with. It\nis said that one chief, when about to be baptized, turned to the priest\nand asked him where were his brave forefathers who had died without being\nbaptized.\n\n\"They are in hell,\" said the priest.\n\n\"Then hell is the place for me,\" answered the chief. \"I would rather be\nthere with Odin and my hard fighting and noble fathers than in heaven\nwith cowardly Christians and shaven monks.\"\n\nThis was the spirit of the chiefs. A heaven in which there would be no\nfighting and mead-drinking had no charms for them, and to live forever\nwith the souls of men who had never drawn sword and struck blow was too\ndreary a prospect for their turbulent tastes.\n\nBut Olaf was ardent in the new faith and persistent in his endeavors,\ntravelling from end to end of the land in his efforts to break up the old\nidolatry. Here is one of the stories told of this missionary work of the\nking.\n\nHe was then in Nidaros, whose peasantry, called Troenders, were said to be\ncelebrating in secret the old pagan festivals and offering sacrifices to\nOdin and Frey for bountiful crops. When King Olaf came among them they\ntook arms against him, but afterwards agreed to hold a public assembly\nand deal in that way with the religious question that was troubling the\nkingdom.\n\nOn the day they met it was raining hard. When the king asked them to\nbelieve in the God of the Christians and be baptized, Dale Guldbrand,\ntheir leader, replied:\n\n\"We know nothing of the being you speak of; a god whom neither you nor\nany one else can see. Now we have a god whom you can see every day,\nexcept a rainy day like this. If your god is so powerful, then let him\narrange that to-morrow we shall have clouds but no rain.\"\n\nWhen they met again the next day the weather was what they had asked for,\nclouds but no rain. Bishop Sigurd now celebrated mass and preached to the\npeople about the miracles which Christ had wrought when on earth. On the\nthird day it was still cloudy. The people had brought with them a great\nwooden image of the god Thor, and their chief spoke as follows:\n\n\"Where is your god now, King Olaf? You do not look so bold as you did\nyesterday, for our god, who rules over all things, is here now and\nscaring you with his fierce eyes. You scarce dare look at him, but you\nwould be wiser to believe in the god that holds in his hand your\ndestiny.\"\n\n\"Your god does not frighten me,\" answered the king. \"He is blind and\ndeaf and cannot move from the spot where you have set him without he is\ncarried. He will soon meet his fate. Look yonder to the east. There in\nthe flood of light comes our God.\"\n\n[Illustration: NORWEGIAN PEASANTS.]\n\nTo the east all eyes were turned, and at that moment the sunlight burst\nfrom the clouds and spread over the scene. As it did so a sturdy warrior,\nat a signal from the king, sprang forwards and struck the idol so fierce\na blow with his club that it was shattered to pieces. Out from its hollow\ninterior sprang great rats, snakes, and lizards, which had grown fat on\nthe food with which the idol had been fed daily.\n\nOn seeing these loathsome things squirm from the interior of their god\nthe peasants fled from the spot in a panic of fear, rushing to the river\nwhere their boats lay. But King Olaf, forecasting this, had sent men to\nbore holes in the boats so that they would not float. Unable to escape,\nthe frightened peasants came back, quite downcast in spirit.\n\n\"You see what your god is worth,\" said the king. \"Has he eaten the bread\nand meat you fed him, or has it gone to fatten rats and snakes? As for\nthe gold and silver you gave him, there it lies scattered. Take up your\ngolden ornaments and hang them no more on worthless logs. Now I give you\nyour choice: you shall accept the faith I bring you, or you shall fight\nfor your own. He will win to whom his god gives the victory.\"\n\nThe peasants were not prepared to fight, and therefore were obliged to\naccept baptism. Priests were sent to teach them the tenets of the new\nfaith they had accepted, and Dale Guldbrand signified his honesty by\nbuilding a church to the Christian deity. Other provinces were also won\nover to Christ, but there was one great and bold chieftain, Erling by\nname, and a sturdy heathen in his faith, who remained hostile to the king\nand a war between them became inevitable.\n\nWhile the king and the earl were making busy preparations to fight for\ntheir faiths, a warrior king and conqueror stepped in to take advantage\nfor himself of the quarrel. This was King Canute, monarch of Denmark and\nEngland, who was eager to add Norway and Sweden to his dominions and make\nhimself one of the most powerful of kings. He secretly sent presents to\nthe discontented Norse chiefs and took other means to win them to his\ncause. It was not long before Olaf learned of these underhand doings, and\nhe at once made an alliance with King Anund of Sweden, whose sister he\nhad married, and whom he told that Canute would attack him if he should\nwin Norway. In his turn, Canute sent ambassadors to King Anund, with\nsplendid presents, hoping to win him over.\n\nTwo candlesticks of gold were placed before him by the ambassadors.\n\n\"Pretty toys those,\" said Anund, \"but not worth enough to break me from\nmy good friend Olaf.\"\n\nThen they brought forth a golden platter, of artistic finish and adorned\nwith jewels. King Anund gazed at it with covetous eyes.\n\n\"A handsome bit of work,\" he said; \"but I will not sell King Olaf for a\ndish.\"\n\nFinally two magnificent rings were offered. King Anund laughed when he\nsaw them.\n\n\"Keen and shrewd is King Canute,\" he remarked. \"He knows I love golden\ntoys, but he does not know that I love honor better. I have known King\nOlaf since he was a boy; he is my friend and my sister is his queen. I\nwill not forsake him to please your king.\"\n\nOn hearing this, King Canute laid aside his plots and made a pilgrimage\nto Rome. During his absence his brother-in-law, Earl Ulf, rebelled\nagainst him and allied himself with Kings Olaf and Anund, who sent fleets\nto his aid. As it proved, King Canute was not the man to be caught\nnapping. Back from his pilgrimage he travelled in haste and came near to\ncapturing both the kings. They fled with all speed, pursued by him with a\nmore powerful fleet, and went up a little river in southern Sweden, which\nthey closed by a dam against their strong foe. Canute came soon after and\nfound the harbor deserted and the river closed against him.\n\nThat night orders were given by the kings to break the dam and the\nheaped-up water ran down in an immense flood on the Danish ships, doing\nthem great damage and drowning many of the people on board. But no attack\nwas made on the disabled fleet, for Earl Ulf now turned traitor to his\nallies and joined Canute with his ships, making him too strong to\nattack.\n\nThis ended the war for the time, Canute returning to England. But he had\nwon over many of the Norse chiefs by his bribes and the next year came\nagain, sailing north to Nidaros, where the assembled chiefs, whom he had\ngained to his side, proclaimed him king of Norway. He appointed Earl\nHaakon, grandson of the famous Earl Haakon of a former tale, regent in\nhis stead, and sailed away again.\n\nIn this manner Olaf lost his kingdom, for with all the powerful chiefs\nsold to the great King Canute and supported by him, little hope remained.\nHe kept up the struggle for a short time, but was soon forced to flee to\nSweden, whence he made his way to Russia and to the court of King\nJaroslov, who was his brother-in-law, for he had married Princess\nIngegerd of Sweden, once affianced to Olaf.\n\nThus easily had Norway been conquered by Canute, but it was not long to\nremain under Danish rule at this time. Olaf, it is true, never won the\nthrone again, though he made a strong effort to regain it. In Russia he\ngrew more and more given to religious thoughts, until he became looked\nupon as a holy man. This made him open to believe in visions, and when in\na dream he saw the former King Olaf, who bade him to go back to Norway\nand conquer it or die, he did not hesitate.\n\nWord had been brought him that Earl Haakon was dead and Norway with no\nimmediate ruler, and against the advice of Jaroslov he set out for his\nlate kingdom, leaving his son Magnus at the Russian court.\n\nIn Sweden the king gave him permission to gather recruits, but now his\nreligious fanaticism stood in the way of his success. He would have none\nbut baptized men in his army, and thus rejected many brave warriors while\ntaking some known to be outlaws and thieves. On reaching Norway he showed\nthe same unwisdom. He had but four thousand men under his command, while\nthe army he was soon to meet numbered ten thousand. Yet Olaf rejected\nfive hundred of his men because they were heathens and, thus weakened,\nmarched to the unequal fray.\n\n\"Forward, Christ's men, king's men!\" was the battle-cry of Olaf's army as\nit rushed upon the foe. \"Forward, peasant men!\" cried the opposite army,\ncharging under its chiefs.\n\nThe king's men had the best of it at the opening, but the peasants held\ntheir ground stubbornly, and as the battle went on Olaf's ranks thinned\nand wavered. Finding the day going against him, he dashed forward with a\nsmall band of devoted men. One by one they fell. The standard changed\nhands again and again as its bearer was struck down. Olaf, severely\nwounded, stood leaning against a rock, when he was cut down by spear and\nsword. And strangely, at that moment, the sun began to grow blood-red and\na dusky hue fell over the field. Darker and darker it grew till the sun\nwas blotted out and terror filled the souls of the peasants, who saw in\nthis strange darkness a token of the wrath of Olaf's God. But the eclipse\ncame too late to save the king, who lay dead where he had fallen.\n\nOlaf was gone but tradition built a halo around his name. It was reported\nthat miracles were wrought by his blood and by the touch of his lifeless\nhand. Tales of marvel and magic grew up about him, and he became a\nwonder-worker for the superstitious people. In time he grew to be the\nnational hero and the national saint, and lives in history as Olaf the\nSaint, while his tragic death and his enthusiasm for the cause of Christ\ngave him a strong hold on the people's hearts and aided greatly in making\nNorway truly a Christian land.\n\n\n\n\n_CANUTE THE GREAT, KING OF SIX NATIONS._\n\n\nA famous old king of Denmark, known as Harald Blaatand or Bluetooth, had\nmany sons, of whom only one, Svend or Sweyn, outlived him. While Harald\nwas a Christian, Sweyn was a pagan, having been brought up in the old\nfaith by a noble warrior Palnatoke, to whom his father had sent the boy\nto teach him the use of arms.\n\nWhen the king found that the boy was being made a pagan he tried to\nwithdraw him from Palnatoke, but Sweyn would not leave his friend,\nwhereupon the crafty king sought to destroy the warrior. We speak of\nthis, for there is a very interesting story connected with it. Every one\nhas read of how the Austrian governor Gessler condemned the Swiss peasant\nWilliam Tell to shoot with an arrow an apple from his son's head, but few\nknow that a like story is told of a Danish king and warrior four hundred\nyears earlier. This is the story, as told for us by an old historian.\n\nOne day, while Palnatoke was boasting in the king's presence of his skill\nas an archer, Harald told him that, in spite of his boasts, there was one\nshot he would not dare to try. He replied that there was no shot he was\nafraid to attempt, and the king then challenged him to shoot an apple\nfrom the head of his son. Palnatoke obeyed, and the apple fell, pierced\nby the arrow. This cruel act made Palnatoke the bitter foe of King\nHarald, and gathering around him a band of fierce vikings he founded a\nbrotherhood of sea-rovers at Jomsborg, and for long years afterwards the\nJomsborgers, or Jomsborg vikings, were a frightful scourge to all\nChristian lands on the Baltic Sea. In former tales we have told some of\ntheir exploits.\n\nIt is said that Sweyn himself, in a later war, killed his father on the\nbattlefield, while Palnatoke stood by approving, though in after years\nthe two were bitter foes. All we need say further of these personages is\nthat Sweyn invaded England with a powerful force in the time of Ethelred\nthe Unready and drove this weak king from the island, making himself\nmaster of great part of the kingdom. He died at Gainsborough, England, in\n1014, leaving his son Knud, then a boy of fourteen, to complete the\nconquest. It is this son, known in England as Canute the Great, and the\nmightiest of all the Danish kings, with whose career we have to deal.\n\nEngland did not fall lightly into Canute's hands; he had to win it by\nforce of arms. Encouraged by the death of Sweyn and the youth of Canute,\nthe English recalled Ethelred and for a time the Danes lost the kingdom\nwhich their king Sweyn had won. Canute did not find a throne awaiting him\nin Denmark. His younger brother Harald had been chosen king by the Danes\nand when Canute asked him for a share in the government, Harald told him\nthat if he wished to be a king he could go back and win England for\nhimself. He would give him a few ships and men, but the throne of Denmark\nhe proposed to keep.\n\nNothing loth, Canute accepted the offer and the next year returned to\nEngland with a large and well appointed force, whose work of conquest was\nrapidly performed. Ethelred died and great part of England was\nsurrendered without resistance to the Danes. But Edmond, Ethelred's son,\ntook the field with an army and in three months won three victories over\nthe invaders.\n\nA fourth battle was attempted and lost and Edmond retreated to the\nSevern, swiftly followed by Canute. The two armies here faced each other,\nwith the fate of England in the balance, when a proposal in close accord\nwith the spirit of the times was made. This was to settle the matter by\nsingle combat between the kings. Both were willing. While Edmond had the\nadvantage in strength, Canute was his superior in shrewdness. For when\nthe champions met in deadly fray and Canute was disarmed by his opponent,\nthe wily Dane proposed a parley, and succeeded in persuading Edmond to\ndivide the kingdom between them. The agreement was accepted by the armies\nand the two kings parted as friends--but the death of Edmond soon after\nhad in it a suspicious appearance of murder by poison.\n\nOn the death of Edmond, Canute called a meeting of the popular assembly\nof the nation and was acknowledged king of all England. Not long\nafterwards Harald of Denmark died and the Danes chose him, under his\nhome name of Knud, as their king also. But he stayed in Denmark only long\nenough to settle the affairs of the Church in that realm. He ordered that\nChristianity should be made the religion of the kingdom and the worship\nof Odin should cease; and put English bishops over the Danish clergy. He\nalso brought in English workmen to teach the uncivilized Danes. Thus,\nDane as Canute was, he preferred the religion and conditions of his\nconquered to those of his native kingdom, feeling that it was superior in\nall the arts and customs of civilization.\n\nA great king was Canute, well deserving the title long given him of\nCanute the Great. Having won England by valor and policy, he held it by\njustice and clemency. He patronized the poets and minstrels and wrote\nverses in Anglo-Saxon himself, which were sung by the people and added\ngreatly to his popularity. Of the poems written by him one was long a\nfavorite in England, though only one verse of it now remains. This was\npreserved by the monks of Ely, since they were its theme. Thus it runs,\nin literal translation:\n\n               \"Merrily sung the monks within Ely\n               When Canute King rowed by;\n               Row, knights, near the land,\n               And hear we these monks' song.\"\n\nIt is said that the verse was suggested to the king when rowing with his\nchiefs one day in the river Nene, near Ely Minster, by the sweet and\nsolemn music of the monastery choir that floated out to them over the\ntranquil water. The monks of Ely, to whom we owe much of our knowledge of\nKing Canute, tell us that he had a strong affection for the fen country\nand for their church, and gave the following story in that connection. It\nis at once picturesque and humorous.\n\nOne year, at the festival of the Purification, when King Canute proposed\nto pay his usual visit to Ely, the weather was very severe and all the\nstreams and other waters were frozen. The courtiers advised the king to\nkeep the holy festival in some other godly house, which he might reach\nwithout danger of drowning under broken ice, but such was his love for\nthe abbot and monks of Ely that he would not take this advice.\n\nCanute proposed to cross the ice by way of Soham Mere, then an immense\nbody of water, saying that if any one would go before and show him the\nway he would be the first to follow. The soldiers and courtiers hesitated\nat this suggestion, and looked at one another with doubt and dread. But\nstanding among the crowd was one Brithmar, a churl or serf, who was\nnicknamed Budde, or Pudding, from his stoutness. He was a native of the\nisland of Ely and doubtless familiar with its waters, and when the\ncourtiers held back he stepped forward and said he would go before and\nshow the way.\n\n\"Go on then, in the name of our Lady,\" said Canute, \"and I will follow;\nfor if the ice on Soham Mere can bear a man so large and fat as thou\nart, it will not break under the weight of a small thin man like me.\"\n\nSo the churl went forward, and Canute the Great followed him, and after\nthe king came the courtiers, one by one, with spaces between; and they\nall got safely over the frozen mere, with no mishaps other than a few\nslips and falls on the smooth ice; and Canute, as he had proposed, kept\nthe festival of the Purification with the monks of Ely.\n\nAs a reward to the fat churl Brithmar for his service, he was made a\nfreeman and his little property was also made free. \"And so,\" the\nchronicle concludes, \"Brithmar's posterity continued in our days to be\nfreemen and to enjoy their possessions as free by virtue of the grant\nmade by the king to their forefather.\"\n\nThere is another and more famous story told of King Canute, one showing\nthat his great Danish majesty had an abundant share of sound sense. Often\nas this story has been told it will bear retelling. The incident occurred\nafter his pilgrimage to Rome in the year 1030; made, it is said, to\nobtain pardon for the crimes and bloodshed which paved his way to the\nEnglish throne.\n\nAfter his return and when his power was at its height, the courtiers\nwearied him by their fulsome flatteries. Disgusted with their extravagant\nadulations he determined to teach them a lesson. They had spoken of him\nas a ruler before whom all the powers of nature must bend in obedience,\nand one day he caused his golden throne to be set on the verge of the\nsea-shore sands as the tide was rolling in with its resistless might.\nSeating himself on the throne, with his jewelled crown on his head, he\nthus addressed the ocean:\n\n\"O thou Ocean! Know that the land on which I sit is mine and that thou\nart a part of my dominion; therefore rise not, but obey my commands, and\ndo not presume to wet the edge of my royal robe.\"\n\nHe sat as if awaiting the sea to obey his commands, while the courtiers\nstood by in stupefaction. Onward rolled the advancing breakers, each\nmoment coming nearer to his feet, until the spray flew into his face, and\nfinally the waters bathed his knees and wet the skirts of his robe. Then,\nrising and turning to the dismayed flatterers, he sternly said:\n\n\"Confess now how vain and frivolous is the might of an earthly king\ncompared with that Great Power who rules the elements and says unto the\nocean, 'Thus far shalt thou go and no farther!'\"\n\nThe monks who tell this story, conclude it by saying that Canute\nthereupon took off his crown and deposited it within the cathedral of\nWinchester, never wearing it again.\n\nAfter his visit to Rome, Canute ruled with greater mildness and justice\nthan ever before, while his armies kept the turbulent Scotch and Welsh\nand the unquiet peoples of the north in order. In the latter part of his\nreign he could boast that the English, the Scotch, the Welsh, the Danes,\nthe Swedes, and the Norwegians were his subjects, and he was called in\nconsequence \"The King of the Six Nations,\" and looked upon throughout\nEurope as the greatest of sovereigns; none of the kings and emperors of\nthat continent being equal in power, wealth and width of dominion to King\nCanute, a descendant of the vikings of Denmark.\n\nCanute spent the most of his life in England, but now and then visited\nhis northern realm, and there are some interesting anecdotes of his life\nthere. Though a devout Christian and usually a self-controlled man, the\nwild passions of his viking ancestry would at times break out, and at\nsuch times he spared neither friend nor foe and would take counsel from\nno man, churchman or layman. But when his anger died out his remorse was\napt to be great and he would submit to any penance laid upon him by the\nChurch. Thus when he had killed one of his house servants for some slight\noffense, he made public confession of his crime and paid the same\nblood-fine as would have been claimed from a man of lower rank.\n\nThe most notable instance of these outbursts of uncontrollable anger was\nthat in which he murdered his old friend and brother-in-law Ulf, who,\nafter rebelling against him, had saved him from complete defeat by the\nSwedes, by coming to his rescue just as the royal fleet was nearly\nswamped by the opening of the sluices which held back the waters of the\nSwedish river Helge-aae. Ulf took Canute on board his own ship and\nbrought him in safety to a Danish island, while leaving his men to aid\nthose of Canute in their escape from the Swedes. Yet the king bore a\ngrudge against the earl, and this was its cause.\n\nAt one time Ulf ruled over Denmark as Canute's regent and made himself\ngreatly beloved by the people from his just rule. Queen Emma, Canute's\nwife, wished to have her little son Harthaknud--or Hardicanute, as he was\nafterwards called in England--made king of Denmark, but could not\npersuade her husband King Canute to accede to her wishes. She therefore\nsent letters privately to Ulf, saying that the king wished to see the\nyoung prince on the throne, but did not wish to do anything the people\nmight not like. Ulf, deceived by her story, had the boy crowned king, and\nthereby won Canute's ill-will.\n\nThe king, however, showed no signs of this, nor of resentment against Ulf\nfor his rebellion, but, after his escape from the Swedes, asked the earl\nto go with him to his palace at Roeskilde, and on the evening of their\narrival offered to play chess with him. During the game Canute made a\nfalse move so that Ulf was able to take one of his knights, and when the\nking refused to let this move count and wanted his man back again the\nearl jumped up and said he would not go on with the game. Canute, in a\nburst of anger, cried out:\n\n\"The coward Norwegian Ulf Jarl is running away.\"\n\n\"You and your coward Danes would have run away still faster at the\nHelge-aae if I and my Norwegians had not saved you from the Swedes, who\nwere making ready to beat you all like a pack of craven hounds!\"\nejaculated the angry earl.\n\nThose hasty words cost Ulf his life. Canute, furious at the insult,\nbrooded over it all night, and the next morning, still in a rage, called\nto one of the guards at the door of his bed-chamber:\n\n\"Go and kill Ulf Jarl.\"\n\n\"My Lord King, I dare not,\" answered the man. \"Ulf Jarl is at prayer\nbefore the altar of the church of St. Lucius.\"\n\nThe king, after a moment's pause, turned to a young man-at-arms who had\nbeen in his service since his boyhood and cried angrily:\n\n\"I command you, Olaf, to go to the church and thrust your sword through\nthe Jarl's body.\"\n\nOlaf obeyed, and Ulf was slain while kneeling before the altar rails of\nSt. Lucius' church.\n\nThen, as usual with King Canute, his passion cooled and he deeply\nlamented his crime, showing signs of bitter remorse. In way of expiation\nhe paid to his sister Estrid, Ulf's widow, a large sum as blood-fine, and\ngave her two villages which she left at her death to the church in which\nher husband had been slain. He also brought up Ulf's eldest son as one of\nhis own children. The widowed Estrid afterwards married Robert, Duke of\nNormandy, father of William the Conqueror, who in 1066 became master of\nEngland.\n\nKing Canute died in 1035, at thirty-six years of age, and his son Harald\nreigned after him in England for four years, and afterwards his son\nHarthaknud, or Hardicanute, for three years, when England again came\nunder an Anglo-Saxon king--to fall under the power of William of\nNormandy, a conqueror of Norwegian descent, twenty-four years later.\n\n\n\n\n_MAGNUS THE GOOD AND HAROLD HARDRULER._\n\n\nAfter the death of King Olaf the Saint, and after the Danes had for some\nyears ruled over Norway, Olaf's son Magnus, who had been left in Russia,\nwas brought to Norway and proclaimed king. The Danes had oppressed the\npeople, and had put over them a woman and her son, and it was this that\nmade the chiefs drive out the tyrants and put young Magnus, then a boy of\nten years of age, on the throne.\n\nA curious thing then took place, one of those strange political\nsomersaults which at times come in the history of nations. For as the\nDanes had lately ruled over Norway, now a Norseman came to rule over\nDenmark. Thus it was that this odd change came about.\n\nThe great King Canute was dead and his son Hardicanute had succeeded him\non the throne. This new king claimed Norway as his and prepared to fight\nfor it. But the chief men in the two countries succeeded in making peace,\nwith the agreement that if either of the kings should die without heirs\nthe other should take his throne. A few years later Hardicanute died and\nMagnus was proclaimed king of Denmark. Thus, in the year 1042, the two\nkingdoms became united under a Norse king, a descendant of Harold the\nFair-Haired.\n\nMagnus, as he grew up, showed an ugly and revengeful temper. Very likely\nsome of those around him told the boy that he should avenge his father\nupon those who had rebelled against and killed him. One of these men was\nslain by his orders, others fled from the country, and many were made\npoor by the loss of their cattle. This made the people very angry, and\nthey were ready to fight for just treatment when peace was brought about\nin another way, the hot-tempered Magnus being subdued by the power of\nsong.\n\nOne of the poets of the land--scalds they were called--made a song called\nthe Lay of Candor, which he sang before the king. In it he warned him of\nthe evil results of a revengeful spirit and told him of the duties he\nowed the people who had brought him to Norway and made him king. Magnus,\nwho had now nearly reached the years of manhood, listened quietly to this\nsong and afterwards sat long in deep thought. It had a wonderful effect\non him, for it opened his eyes to the injustice of his course, and from\nthat day he was a new man. All his plans of vengeance fled, he became\nkind and gentle and so mild and sweet in manner that he grew to be one of\nthe best loved of kings. This may be seen in the name the people gave\nhim, which was that of Magnus the Good.\n\nNow we must tell the rest of his story very rapidly. As the heir of\nHardicanute he claimed to be king of England as well as of Norway and\nDenmark, and he might have tried to win the crown of England, then worn\nby Edward the Confessor, had he not been kept busy at home. In fact, he\nhad to fight hard to keep the crown of Denmark, for Sweyn, a nephew of\nthe great Canute, claimed it and a fierce war followed. Magnus was\nvictorious in this war, and in one great battle, in which ten thousand\nsoldiers were slain, it was his skill and courage that won the field.\nThis display of personal bravery gave him a great name in the north.\n\nNow we must leave the story of Magnus for a time to take up that of\nanother hero of the north. Those who have read the tale of Olaf the Saint\nwill remember his amusing talk with his three little half-brothers, and\nhow while the two elder had an ambition only for land and cows, Harold,\nthe youngest, wanted men and ships, and Olaf prophesied that the boy\nwould one day be a king.\n\nWhen Harold grew up the spirit of the boy was shown in the man. When only\nfifteen years old he fought in the battle in which King Olaf was killed,\nand received a severe wound. Then he became a wanderer, going first to\nRussia and then to Constantinople, where he became the captain of the\nVarangians, the body-guard of Norsemen kept by the Greek emperors. A\nlarge, bold, strong, and reckless champion, Harold gained a great name in\nthe south. He fought against the Saracens and won much treasure; he\nfought in Sicily and captured many cities; he had adventures in love and\nwar and many wonderful stories are told of his exploits. Then he came\nback to Russia and married Elizabeth, the daughter of King Jaroslov,\nlove for whom had sent him abroad to win fame and riches.\n\n[Illustration: NORWEGIAN FARM BUILDINGS.]\n\nNot long after this King Magnus, as he was sailing one day along the\ncoast of Denmark, saw gliding along the most magnificent ship he had ever\nbeheld. He at once sent men aboard to learn to whom the beautiful galley\nbelonged, and they were met by a tall and handsome man, who said that he\nhad been sent by Harold Sigurdsson, the uncle of King Magnus, to learn\nhow the king would receive him. Magnus, who was then nineteen years old,\nsent word that he would gladly welcome his uncle and hoped to find in him\na good friend. When they met the tall man proved to be Harold himself and\nMagnus was highly pleased with him.\n\nHe was not so well pleased when Harold asked to be made king also, laying\nclaim to half the kingdom. And Harold himself was not well pleased when\none of the Norse chiefs said that if Magnus was to share the kingdom with\nhim, he should divide his great treasure with Magnus.\n\nHarold replied hastily and haughtily that he had not dared death and won\nwealth that he might make his nephew's men rich. The chief answered that\nhe and his friends had not won Norway from the Danes for the purpose of\ngiving half of it to a stranger, and all the other earls and warriors\nagreed with him, so that Harold found that the apple which he wished to\ndivide was not so easily to be cut.\n\nAfter that there was war and plundering and the cruel deeds that take\nplace when the sword is drawn, and a year or two later Harold called an\nassembly of the people of one district of Norway and had himself\nproclaimed king. Magnus, who did not want to fight his father's brother,\nfinally yielded to Harold's claim and agreed that they should both be\nkings; not to divide the realm, but both to rule over the whole country\ntogether. Thus it was that Harold won the prize which he had craved as a\nyoung child.\n\nEvery one would say that a compact of this kind could not work well. A\ngentle, kindly, generous-hearted man like King Magnus was ill matched\nwith a haughty, wealth-loving, tyrannical man like Harold. No doubt many\nbitter words passed between them, and the peasants were so incensed by\nHarold's oppression and extortion of money from them that they would have\nbroken into open rebellion only for the love they bore King Magnus. The\nlatter was often so incensed that he was tempted to put an end to the\ndouble kingship even if he had to remove his troublesome partner by\nviolence.\n\nBut this was not to be. One day, while out riding, his horse took fright\nand threw him, his head striking a stump. He was at first stunned, but\nseemed to recover. Soon afterwards he was taken sick with a violent fever\nand gradually sank, so that it became apparent that he would die. On his\ndeath-bed he decided that Sweyn, who had fought so hard to win from him\nthe crown of Denmark, had a better right to that kingdom than Harold, and\nmen were sent to inform him of his succession to the Danish throne. But\nhe had barely closed his eyes in death when Harold sent other men to\nintercept these messengers. He proposed to keep Denmark for himself.\n\nThe death of King Magnus without an heir left Harold the undisputed\nsuccessor to the throne, as the only living descendant in the male line\nof Harold the Fair-Haired. Yet the people were far from pleased, for he\nhad already shown a disposition to treat them harshly and they feared\nthat a tyrant had succeeded to the throne. By his stern rule he gained\nseveral uncomplimentary titles, the English calling him Harold the\nHaughty, the Germans Harold the Inflexible, and the Northmen Harold the\nHardruler. Yet he was able to hold his own over his people, for he was\nstrong and daring, skilled in the art of war, and a man of unusual\nintellect. He was also a poet and won fame by his verses. He would sit up\nhalf the night with the blind scald Stuf Katson, to hear him recite his\nstirring songs.\n\nBut if absolute ruler over Norway, Harold found Denmark slipping away\nfrom him. Sweyn had in him the blood of the race of Canute, and was no\nweakling to be swept aside at a king's will. Magnus had left him the\nkingdom and he was bent on having it, if his good sword could win and\nhold it. In this he was supported by the Danes, and Harold found that the\nmost he could do was to make descents on the Danish coast and plunder and\nmurder the innocent people.\n\nAfter this idle kind of warfare had gone on for a number of years and\nHarold found that all he had gained by it was the hatred of the Danes, he\nmade an agreement with Sweyn to fight it out between them. They were to\nmeet at the mouth of the Goetha Elv and whoever won in the battle was to\nbe the king of Denmark. It was a kind of duel for a crown.\n\nBut Sweyn tried to gain his end by stratagem. When Harold appeared with\nhis fleet at the appointed place Sweyn and his ships were not to be seen.\nHarold waited a while, fuming and fretting, and then sailed south to\nJutland, where he ravaged the coast, took and burned the city of Heidaby,\ncarried away a number of women of high rank, and filled his ships with\nplunder. Then he turned homeward, with so little fear of the Danes that\nhe let his ships widely scatter.\n\nThe winds were adverse, the weather was foggy, and one morning while they\nlay at anchor by an island shore, the lookout saw a bright flash through\nthe fog. The king was hastily called, and on seeing it cried:\n\n\"What you see is the flash of the morning sun on the golden dragon-heads\nof warships. The Danish fleet is upon us!\"\n\nThe peril was imminent. It was hopeless to fight with the few ships at\ncommand. Only flight remained and that was almost as hopeless. The oars\nwere got out in haste, but the ships, soaked and heavy from their long\ncruise, were hard to move, and as the fog lifted under the sun rays, the\nDanish fleet, several hundred strong, bore down swiftly upon them. The\nemergency was one that needed all the wit and skill of the king to meet.\n\nTo distract the enemy Harold bade his men nail bright garments and other\nshowy spoil to logs and cast them overboard. As these floated through the\nDanish ships many of them stopped to pick up the alluring prizes. He also\nwas obliged to throw overboard casks of beer and pork to lighten his\nships and these also were picked up. Yet in spite of all he could do the\nDanes gained on him, and his own ship, which brought up the rear, was in\ndanger of capture.\n\nAs a last resort the shrewd king had rafts made of boards and barrels and\nput on these the high-born women he held as captives. These rafts were\nset afloat one after another, and the pursuers, on seeing these hapless\nfair ones and hearing their wild appeals for rescue, were obliged to stop\nand take them up. This final stratagem succeeded and Harold escaped,\nleaving Sweyn, who had felt sure of capturing his enemy, furious at his\nfailure.\n\nAt another time, ten years and more later, Harold again fell into peril\nand again escaped through his fertility in resources. Having beaten his\nrival in a naval battle, he entered the long and narrow Lim fiord to\nplunder the land, fancying that Sweyn was in no condition to disturb him.\nHe reckoned too hastily. Sweyn, learning where his foe was, gathered what\nships he could and took post at Hals, the fiord being there so narrow\nthat a few ships could fight with advantage against a much greater\nnumber.\n\nThough caught in a trap Harold was not dismayed, but gave orders to sail\nto the inner end of the fiord. He knew that it ended near the North Sea,\nonly a narrow isthmus dividing them. Then, with great trouble and labor,\nhe managed to have his ships dragged across the isthmus and launched on\nthe sea waters, and away he sailed in triumph, leaving Sweyn awaiting him\nin vain.\n\nFinally, with the desire to bring this useless strife to an end, if\npossible, a new compact was made to meet with their fleets in the Goetha\nElv and fight once more for the kingdom of Denmark. It was now 1062,\nthirteen years after the former battle. As before, on reaching the place\ndesignated, no Danish ship was visible. But it is difficult to credit\nwhat we are told, that Harold, after a vain wait, made the same error as\nbefore, dividing his fleet and sending the greater part of it home. With\nthe remainder, one hundred and eighty ships strong, he sailed along the\ncoast, and suddenly found himself in the presence of the Danes, with two\nships to his one.\n\nThis time Harold did not flee, but joined battle bravely with his enemy,\nthe contest lasting through a whole night and ending in a complete\nvictory over the Danes. It was a great victory, yet it brought Harold no\nadvantage, for Sweyn did not keep to his compact--if he had made one--to\nsurrender his throne, and the Danes hated Harold so thoroughly for his\ncruel raids on their land that they had no idea of submitting to him. Two\nyears more passed on, and then Harold, finding that the conquest of\nDenmark was hopeless, consented against his will to make peace. In this\nway Sweyn, after many years of battling for his throne, forced his\npowerful antagonist to give up the contest and promise never to disturb\nhim again.\n\nTwo years after this peace was made, in the year 1066, King Harold took\npart in another adventure which brought his tyranny and his life to an\nend. It is worth telling for another reason, for it was connected with a\ngreat historical event, the conquest of England by William the Conqueror.\nFor these two reasons it is very fitting that it should be told.\n\nKing Harold of England, who was soon to fall on the fatal field of\nHastings, had a brother, Earl Tostig, who, fired by ambition, set out to\nconquer that kingdom for himself. He went first to Denmark and tried to\nget King Sweyn to join him in the enterprise, but the prudent Sweyn told\nhim that he had no desire to follow in the footsteps of his uncle Canute,\nbut was quite content to dwell at home and rule his own kingdom.\n\nThen Tostig sought Norway, where he found King Harold far more ready to\nlisten to him. So in September of that year, Harold sailed from Norway\nwith the most powerful fleet and army that had ever left its shores.\nCounting what was added in the Orkneys and the force under Earl Tostig,\nit numbered about three hundred and fifty ships and thirty thousand men.\nLanding in Northumberland, a victory was won and the city of York taken.\nThen, leaving about one-third of the army to guard the ships, Harold and\nTostig encamped at Stamford Bridge, seven miles from York.\n\nIt was a warm day, there was no reason to fear danger, and the men\nlounged about without their arms. In this unwary state they found\nthemselves suddenly face to face with a large army, led by the English\nKing Harold, who had marched north in furious haste. Tostig, finding that\nthey had been taken by surprise, advised a retreat to the ships, but\nHarold was not the man to turn his back to his foe, and decided to stand\nand fight, ordering the men to arm and prepare for battle. While they\nwere gathering in ranks for the fray, a party of English horsemen rode up\nand asked if Earl Tostig was there.\n\n\"You see him before you,\" said Tostig.\n\n\"Your brother Harold sends you greeting and offers you peace and the rule\nof Northumberland. If he cannot gain your friendship for less, he will\ngrant you one-third his kingdom.\"\n\n\"Last year he had only scorn and disdain to offer me,\" replied Tostig.\n\"But if I should accept his proposal, what has he to offer my ally, the\nking of Norway?\"\n\n\"He will grant him seven feet of English soil; or more if his length of\nbody needs it.\"\n\n\"If that is your best offer,\" said Tostig, \"ride back and bid Harold to\nbegin the battle.\"\n\nHarold of Norway had heard this brief colloquy, and as the English\nhorsemen rode away asked Tostig who was the speaker.\n\n\"That was my brother, Harold himself,\" answered Tostig.\n\n\"I learn that too late,\" said Harold grimly.\n\nThe battle that followed was hotly contested. It began with a charge of\nthe English cavalry, which was repulsed, and was followed up fiercely by\nthe Norsemen, who fancied the flight of the English to mean a general\nrout. In this way they broke their ranks, which the king wished to\npreserve until reinforcements could reach him from the ships. Forward\nrushed the impatient Norsemen, King Harold throwing himself into their\nmidst and fighting with savage fury. His men seconded him, the English\nranks wavered and broke before the fierce onset, and victory seemed\nwithin the grasp of the invaders, when an arrow pierced King Harold's\nthroat and he fell in a dying state from his horse.\n\nHis fall checked the onset, and the English king, hearing of his death,\noffered his brother an armistice. Tostig refused this and led his men\nback to the fray, which was resumed with all its old fury. But Tostig,\ntoo, was slain, and the king's brother-in-law, who arrived with\nreinforcements from the ships, met with the same fate. By this time the\nbattlefield was covered with the bodies of the dead, and the Norsemen,\ndispirited by the loss of their leaders, gave way and retreated towards\nthe ships, hotly pursued by their victorious foes. Of their great host\nonly a small remnant succeeded in reaching the ships.\n\nThus ended the great fight at Stamford Bridge, and with it the reign and\nlife of Harold Hardruler, who fell a victim to his ambition and love of\nstrife. For years thereafter the bones of men lay scattered widely over\nthat field, for none stayed to bury the dead, the Norsemen fleeing in\ntheir ships, while news of the landing of William of Normandy called\nHarold hastily to the south--where he fell in the midst of the fighting\nat Hastings as Harold of Norway had fallen on Stamford Field. Harold's\ninvasion of England was the last great exploit of the vikings of the\nnorth, and though Ireland was invaded later by a Norseland fleet, no\nforeign foe after the fatal days at Stamford and Hastings ever landed on\nEngland's shores.\n\n\n\n\n_SVERRE, THE COOK'S SON, AND THE BIRCHLEGS._\n\n\nIn the year 1177 those people in Norway who loved a joke must have\nlaughed to their hearts' content, when the tidings reached them that the\nson of a cook, followed by seventy ragged and half armed men, had set out\nto win the throne of the kingdom. Surely a more extraordinary and\nlaughable enterprise was never undertaken, and the most remarkable thing\nabout it was that it succeeded. A few years of desperate adventures and\nhard fighting raised the cook's son to the throne, and those who had\nlaughed at his temerity were now glad to hail him as their king. How\nSverre the adventurer won the crown is a tale full of adventure and amply\nworth the telling.\n\nNo common man was Sverre and no common woman was his mother Gunhild, a\ncook in the kitchen of King Sigurd Mouth. Not handsome was she, but quick\nof wit and bright of brain. If the king had had his way the boy would\nhave had a very short life, for he bade the mother to kill her child as\nsoon as it should be born. Instead of consenting to this cruel mandate,\nshe fled from the palace to a ship, which took her to the Faroe Islands,\nand here her son was born. She was then serving as milkmaid to Bishop\nMathias.\n\nThe little Sverre began his life with an adventure. When he was a few\nmonths old a man named Unas came from Norway to the islands, a smith or\ncomb-maker by profession. But Gunhild suspected him of being a spy sent\nby King Sigurd to kill her son, and she hid the boy in a cavern, which is\nstill called Sverre's Cave. He acted like a spy, for he followed her to\nthe cave, found where she had hidden the child, and threatened to kill it\nunless she would marry him. Gunhild had no love for this dangerous\nstranger, but she dearly loved her little son, and with much reluctance\nshe consented to marry Unas to save the babe's life.\n\nSuch was the first event in the life of the later King Sverre. The\nnew-married pair went back to Norway, for King Sigurd had died, but when\nthe boy was five years old they returned to the Faroes, for Bishop\nMathias was now dead, and Roe, the brother of Unas, had been made bishop\nin his stead.\n\nThe little fellow was made to believe that he was the son of Unas, and as\nhe grew up Bishop Roe took a great fancy to him, for he showed himself to\nbe very bright and intelligent. There was no boy in the island his equal,\nso the good bishop had him educated for the priesthood and when he was\nold enough had him ordained in the lowest priestly grade.\n\nThis was much against the wish of Gunhild, his mother, who had higher\nhopes for his future, and when he proudly told her that he was now a\npriest, and hoped some day to become a bishop, or even a cardinal, she\nburst into tears.\n\n\"Why do you weep, mother?\" he asked in surprise. \"I do not know why you\nshould hear of my honor with sorrow.\"\n\n\"Oh, my son,\" she cried, \"this is but a small honor compared to that to\nwhich you were born. I have not told you of the great station that is\nyours by right, but must now say that you are not the son of my husband\nUnas, but of King Sigurd of Norway, and you have as good a claim as any\nman living to the throne.\"\n\nThis surprising revelation destroyed Sverre's peace of mind. All his\nambition to rise in the priesthood was gone, the crown of a kingdom\nseemed to float in the air before him, and his thoughts by day and his\ndreams by night were fixed on that shining goal. The great hopes in his\nmind kept sleep from his eyes and after days of mental unrest he felt\nthat life was worthless to him if his high ambition were not fulfilled.\n\n\"Since I am born heir to the crown,\" he said to his mother, \"I have as\nmuch right to it as any man, and I will strive at any cost to win it. I\nstake my life on this cast, for without it life to me has lost all its\njoy.\"\n\nMagnus, the king then on the throne, was not of royal birth. He was the\nson of Erling Skakke, a great and ambitious nobleman, who had killed\nevery descendant of the royal house he could find to make his own son\nking. Of the boy who was destined to dispute his claim, the cook's son on\nthe Faroes, he knew nothing, and when the bright youth landed in Norway,\nwhether he had gone in spite of the protests of Bishop Roe, not a soul in\nthe kingdom dreamed that a new claimant for the throne was in the realm.\n\nNo one was likely to learn from Sverre until his plans were ripe. He was\ntoo shrewd and cautious for that. He wanted to feel the sentiment of the\npeople, and was disappointed to find them all well satisfied with their\nking. Full of humor and a good talker, everybody he met was pleased with\nhim, and when he talked with the men-at-arms of Erling Skakke they told\nhim all they knew about the state of affairs. They were quite won over by\nthis lively priest from the Faroes. He even made the acquaintance of\nErling Skakke himself and got a thorough idea of his character.\n\nThe cunning adventurer was feeling his way and found things not at all to\nhis liking. To attempt, alone and with an empty pocket, to drive a\nfavorite monarch from the throne, seemed the act of madness. But the\nambitious youth had dreamed his dream of royal state and had no fancy for\nreturning to a humble priesthood on the bleak Faroes.\n\nIn Sweden, across the border, dwelt Earl Birger, who had married a sister\nof King Sigurd Mouth. To him Sverre went, told who he was, and begged for\naid. The earl looked on him as an imposter and would have nothing to do\nwith him. Then he sought Folkvid the Lawman, with whom lived his\nhalf-sister Cecilia, and told him the same story. Folkvid received him\nmore graciously, but he had no power to make him king. But the rumor\nthat a son of the late King Sigurd was in the land got abroad, and soon\nmade its way to the ears of a band of rebels who hated the king.\n\nHere we must go back a step. All the people of Norway were not content\nwith the new king. From time to time pretenders to the throne arose,\nhornets whom Magnus and his father Erling had some trouble in destroying.\nThey had their following, and the malcontents gathered at last around\nEystein Meyla (Little Girl), who professed to be the grandson of a former\nking. But all this last of the pretenders was able to do was to roam\nabout in the wilderness, keeping himself and his followers from starving\nby robbing the people. They were in so desperate a state that they had to\nuse birch-bark for shoes, and the peasants in derision called them\nBirkebeiner, or Birchlegs. Though little better than highwaymen, they\nwere sturdy and daring and had some success, but finally were badly\nbeaten by the king and their leader slain. They might have never been\nheard of again had not the greatest of the pretenders just then came to\nNorway.\n\nThe rumor that a son of King Sigurd Mouth was in the land reached the\nears of the handful of Birchlegs remaining and, learning where Sverre\nwas, they sought him and begged him to be their chief. He looked at them,\nand seeing what dirty and ragged vagabonds they were, he told them that\nhe had no fancy for being their leader, that there was no link of\nconnection between them and him but poverty, and advised them, if they\nwanted a chief, to seek one of Earl Birger's sons, who, like himself,\nwere of royal descent.\n\nThe beggarly troop took his advice, but the earl's son would have nothing\nto do with them. By way of a joke he told them to go back to Sverre and\nthreaten to kill him if he would not be their leader. They did so, using\npersuasions and possibly threats, and Sverre, seeing no hope of success\namong the great, finally consented to become the leader of this ragged\nband of brigands. Such was his first definite step on the road to the\nthrone.\n\nIn this humble fashion, the ambitious young prince, then about\ntwenty-four years old, with empty hands and pockets and seventy ragged\nfollowers, began his desperate strife for the throne of Norway.\n\nFrom Vermeland, where his enterprise began, he led his forlorn seventy\nsouthward toward Viken, his party rolling on like a snowball and growing\nin size on its way, until it swelled to four hundred and twenty men. In\nspite of his protest, these vagabonds proclaimed him king and touched his\nsword to indicate their allegiance. But their devotion to his cause was\nnot great, for when he forbade them to rob and plunder the peasants most\nof them left him. To test the remainder, he ordered them back to\nVermeland and before they reached that region only the original seventy\nremained.\n\nDesperate was now the position of the youthful adventurer. He had\ndeclared himself a claimant for the throne and any one had the right to\nkill him. The peasants hated his robber band and he could get none to\njoin him. They would rather have killed them all and thus earned the\nking's favor.\n\nHad young Sverre been a man of common mind his enterprise must now have\nreached its end. But he was a man of wonderful mental resources, daring,\nindefatigable, capable of bearing the most extreme reverses and rescuing\nhimself from the most perilous situations. Followed by his faithful\nseventy, he wandered through the pathless mountain wilderness, hopeful\nand resourceful. His courage was unfailing. Often they had to live on\nbark and frozen berries, which were dug up from under the snow. At times\nsome of his men, worn out with hunger and exposure, would drop lifeless\non their barren paths; at times he had to sleep under his shield, as his\nonly protection from the falling snow; but his heart kept stout through\nit all, and he chided those who talked of ending their misfortunes by\nsuicide.\n\nAs an example of his courage and endurance and his care of his men, we\nmay tell the following anecdote. Once in his wanderings he came to a\nlarge mountain lake which had to be crossed. It could only be done on\nrafts, and the men were so exhausted that it proved desperate work to\nfell trees and build the necessary rafts. In time they were all\ndespatched, Sverre boarding the last, which was so heavily laden that the\nwater rose above his ankles.\n\nOne man was still on the shore, so utterly worn out that he had to crawl\nto the water's edge and beg to be taken on, lest he should perish. The\nothers grumbled, but Sverre would not listen to their complaints but\nbade them to take the man on. With his extra weight the raft sank till\nthe water reached their knees. Though the raft threatened to go to the\nbottom Sverre kept a resolute face. A great fallen pine on the other side\nmade a bridge up which the men clambered to safety, Sverre being the last\nto leave the raft. Scarcely had he done so when the watersoaked logs\nsank. The men looked on this as a miracle and believed more fully than\never that he would win.\n\nNow came the first success in his marvellous career. He had one hundred\nand twenty men on reaching the goal of his terrible journey, but here\neighty men more joined him and with these two hundred followers he\nsuccessfully faced a force of fourteen hundred which had been sent\nagainst him. With a native genius for warfare he baffled his enemies at\nevery point, avoiding their onset, falling upon them at unexpected\npoints, forcing them to scatter into separate detachments in the pursuit,\nthen falling on and beating these detachments in succession. While he\nkept aware of their plans and movements, they never knew where to look\nfor him, and in a short time the peasant army was beaten and dispersed.\n\nThis striking success gave new courage and hope to the Birchlegs and they\ncame in numbers to the place to which Sverre had summoned a body of\ntwelve representatives from the province of Troendelag. These met and\nproclaimed him king of Norway. It was now the summer of 1177.\n\nThe Birchlegs were hasty in supposing the beating of fourteen hundred\npeasants would bring success to their cause. Erling Skakke was still\nalive and active, and on hearing of the exploits of this new leader of\nrebels in the north, he got together a large fleet and sailed northward\nto deal with him.\n\nThe new-proclaimed king was too wary to meet this powerful force and he\nsought refuge in the mountains again, leaving to Erling the dominion of\nthe coast. And now, for two years, Sverre and his men led a precarious\nlife, wandering hither and thither through the mountain wilderness and\nsuffering the severest privations. He was like a Robin Hood of the\nNorwegian mountains, loving to play practical jokes on the peasants, such\nas appearing with his hungry horde at their Yuletide feasts and making\nway with the good cheer they had provided for themselves. He was obliged\nto forage in the valleys, but he took pity on the poor and more than once\nmade the great suffer for acts of oppression.\n\nEverywhere he was hated as a desperate brigand; some believed him to be\nthe devil himself. Naughty children were scared with the threat that the\nterrible Sverre would take them, and laundresses, beating their clothes\nat the river's brink, devoutly wished that Sverre's head was under the\nstone. Yet his undaunted resolution, his fights with the king's soldiers,\nhis skirmishes with the peasants, and his boldness and daring in all\nsituations, won him a degree of admiration even among those who feared\nand hated him.\n\nThus for two years his adventurous career went on. Then came an event\nthat turned the tide in his favor. Erling was still pursuing him and in\nJune, 1179, was in the coast town of Nidaros, his son, Magnus, with him.\nIn the harbor lay the fleet. The earl and the king were feasting with\ntheir followers when word was brought them that the Birchlegs were\napproaching.\n\n\"I wish it was true,\" said the earl. \"I should like nothing better than\nto meet that hound Sverre. But there will be no such good luck to-night,\nfor I am told that the rascals have gone back to the mountains. You can\ngo to bed in safety, for Sverre will not dare to trouble us when we are\non the watch for him.\"\n\nTo bed they went, sleeping heavily from their potations, and down on them\ncame Sverre, who, as usual, was well informed about their situation.\n\n\"Now is your time to fight bravely, and repay yourselves for your\nsufferings,\" he said to his men. \"A fine victory lies before us. I shall\npromise you this. Any one of you who can prove that he has slain a\nliegeman shall be made a liegeman himself, and each of you shall be given\nthe title and dignity of the man you have slain.\"\n\nThus encouraged, the poorly-armed adventurers rushed down the hills into\nthe town. One sturdy fellow who carried only a club was asked where his\nweapons were.\n\n\"They are down in the town,\" he said. \"The earl's men have them now. We\nare going there to get them.\"\n\nThis they did. As they came on the warriors, hastily alarmed and heavy\nwith their drunken sleep, flocked staggering into the streets, to be met\nwith sword and lance. The confusion was great and the king had much\ntrouble in rallying his men. Many chieftains advised flight to the ships,\nbut the stout-hearted Erling was not ready for that.\n\n\"It might be best,\" he said, \"but I can't bear the thought of that\nbrigand priest putting himself in my son's place.\"\n\nLeading his men outside the city, he awaited the attack. It came in\nhaste, the Birchlegs falling furiously upon the much greater force before\nthem. In the onset the earl was killed and his men were put to flight.\nThe king, as he fled by, saw the bloody face of his father lying under\nthe stars. He stooped and kissed him, saying:\n\n\"We shall meet again, father, in the day of joy.\" Then he was borne away\nin the stream of flight.\n\nThis decisive victory turned the tide of the war. The death of Erling\nremoved Sverre's greatest opponent. King Magnus was no match for the\npriest-king, and the rebel force grew until the contest assumed the shape\nof civil war. Sverre no longer led a band of wanderers, but was the\nleader of an army.\n\nThis was not the ordinary army recruited from the settled classes of\nsociety, but an army made up of the lower stratum of the people, now\nfirst demanding their share of the good things of life. Fierce and unruly\nas they were, Sverre knew how to control and discipline them. He kept his\npromise, as far as was possible, to reward his men with the honors of\nthose they had slain, but charged them with the maintenance of law and\norder, punishing all who disobeyed his commands. This he could safely do,\nfor they worshipped him. They had shared peril and suffering together,\nhad lived as comrades, but through it all he had kept his authority\nintact and demanded obedience. Birchlegs they still called themselves,\nfor they had grown proud of the title, and they named their opponents\nHeklungs, from the story that some of them had robbed a beggar woman\nwhose money was wrapped in a cloak (_hekl_).\n\nFor six years afterwards the war for dominion in Norway continued, the\nstar of King Sverre steadily rising. In 1180 Magnus attacked his opponent\nwith an army much larger than that of Sverre, but was utterly routed; and\nan army of peasants that came on afterwards, to kill the \"devil's\npriest,\" met with the same ill success.\n\nMagnus now took refuge in Denmark, abandoning Norway to his rival, and\nfrom there he came year after year to continue the contest. In a naval\nbattle in 1181, in which Sverre had less than half the number of ships of\nhis opponent, his star seemed likely to set. The Birchlegs were not good\nat sea fighting and the Heklungs were pressing them steadily back, when\nSverre sprang into the hottest of the fight, without a shield and with\ndarts and javelins hurtling around him, and in stirring tones sang the\nLatin hymn, \"Alma chorus domini.\"\n\nThis hymn seemed to turn the tide of victory. Magnus, storming furiously\nforward at that moment, was wounded in the wrist as he was boarding a\nhostile ship. The pain caused him to pause and, his feet slipping on the\nblood-stained deck, he fell headlong backward, a glad shout of victory\ncoming from the Birchlegs who saw him fall.\n\nOrm, one of King Magnus's captains, demanded what had happened.\n\n\"The king is killed,\" he was told.\n\n\"Then the fate of the realm is decided,\" he cried.\n\nCutting the ropes that held the ships together, he took to flight,\nfollowed by others and breaking the line of battle. Leaping to his feet,\nMagnus called out that he was not hurt and implored them not to flee from\ncertain victory. But the terror and confusion were too great, and Sverre\ntook quick advantage of the opportunity, capturing a number of ships and\nputting the others to flight.\n\nThe final battle in this contest for a throne came in 1184. It was one in\nwhich Sverre was in imminent danger of a fatal end to his career. Usually\nnot easily surprised, he was now taken unawares. He had sailed up the\nNore fiord with a few ships and a small force of men, to punish some\nparties who had killed his prefect. Magnus, afloat with twenty-six ships\nand over three thousand men, learned of this and pursued his enemy into\nthe fiord.\n\nSverre was caught in a trap. Not until he saw the hostile ships bearing\ndown upon him had he a suspicion of danger. Escape was impossible. Great\ncliffs bounded the watery canon. He had but fourteen ships and not half\nhis opponent's force of men. The Heklungs were sure that victory was in\ntheir hands. But when Sverre and his Birchlegs dashed forward and\nattacked them with berseker fury their confidence turned to doubt. Soon\nit began to appear that victory was to be on the other side. Before the\nfurious onset the Heklungs fell in numbers. Many in panic leaped into the\nsea and were drowned, King Magnus among them. Till mid-night the hot\ncontest continued, by which hour half the king's force were slain and all\nthe ships captured. The drowned corpse of King Magnus was not found until\ntwo days after the battle, when it was taken to Bergen and buried with\nroyal ceremony. His death ended the contest and Sverre was unquestioned\nking of the whole land.\n\nShall we briefly conclude the story of King Sverre's reign? For twenty\nyears it continued, the most of these years of war, for rebellion broke\nout in a dozen quarters and only the incessant vigilance and activity of\na great king and great soldier enabled him to keep his throne and his\nlife.\n\nAfter all his wars and perils, he died in his bed, March 9, 1202, worn\nout by his long life of toil and strain. Never before had Norway so noble\nand able a king; never since has it seen his equal. A man was he of small\nframe but indomitable soul, of marvellous presence of mind and fertility\nin resources; a man firm but kindly and humane; a king with a\nclear-sighted policy and an admirable power of controlling men and\nwinning their attachment. Never through all its history has Norway known\nanother monarch so admirable in many ways as Sverre, the cook's son.\n\n\n\n\n_THE FRIENDS AND FOES OF A BOY PRINCE._\n\n\nAfter the death of the great King Sverre tumult and trouble reigned in\nNorway. Several kings came to the throne, but none of them lived long,\nand there was constant fighting between the Birchlegs and the opposing\nparty who called themselves Baglers. Year after year they kept their\nswords out and their spears in hand, killing one another, but neither\nparty growing strong enough to put an end to the other. All this time the\npeople were suffering and the country growing poorer, and a strong hand\nwas needed at the helm of the ship-of-state.\n\nIt was when King Inge, who was not of royal blood, and whose hand was not\nthe strong hand needed, was on the throne, that new hope came to the\npeople, for it was made known that they had among them a boy of kingly\ndescent, a grandson of the noble Sverre. Men thought that King Sverre's\nline had died out, and there was great joy in their hearts when they\nlearned that his son Haakon had left a son.\n\nThis boy was born in 1203, son of the beautiful Inga of Varteig, whom\nKing Haakon had warmly loved though she was not his wife. The little\nprince was named Haakon, after his father, but he was born in the midst\nof the Baglers, his father's foes, and the priest who baptized him bade\nInga to keep his birth a strict secret, letting none outside her own\nfamily know that a new prince had come to the land.\n\nThe secret was well kept for a time, but whispers got abroad, and Thrond,\nthe priest, at length told the story to Erland of Huseby, whom he knew to\nbe on the right side. Erland heard the news with joy, but feared peril\nfor the little prince, thus born in the land of his enemies. Rumors were\ngrowing, danger might at any moment come, and though it was mid-winter, a\nseason of deep snows and biting winds, he advised the priest to send the\nboy and his mother to the court of King Inge, offering himself to take\nthem across the pathless mountains.\n\nThe difficult journey was made in safety and the boy and his mother were\nkindly welcomed by the king, and joyfully greeted by the Birchlegs, who\nwere strong in that district. Little Haakon was then less than two years\nold, and it is said that the old loyalists, who were eager to have a king\nof the royal blood, used in playfulness to pull him between them by the\narms and legs, to make him grow faster.\n\nThe Birchlegs were in fear of Haakon Galen, the king's brother, who was\nambitious to succeed to the throne. Yet Earl Haakon took a great fancy to\nthe helpless little child and seemed to love him as much as any of them.\nThus the child prince, though in the midst of plotters for the throne,\nwho would naturally be likely to act as his enemies, seemed protected by\nthe good angels and brought safely through all his perils.\n\nEven when he was captured by the Baglers, when four years of age, they\ndid not harm him, being possibly so taken by his infantile beauty and\nwinning ways that they could not bring themselves to injure their little\ncaptive. In the end, after many fights and flights, in which neither\nparty made any gains, the Birchlegs and Baglers grew tired of the useless\nstrife and a treaty of peace was made between them, the king of the\nBaglers swearing allegiance to King Inge and becoming one of his earls.\nBut new trouble was brewing for the youthful prince, for in 1212, when he\nwas eight years old, a compact was made that none but those of legitimate\nbirth should succeed to the throne. As his mother had not been a legal\nwife, this threatened to rob little Haakon of his royal rights.\n\nIn doing this the plotters were like some politicians of the present day,\nwho lay plans without consulting the people. They did not know how strong\nthe sentiment was in favor of the old royal line. One of the old\nBirchlegs, on hearing of this compact, was bitterly angry. He had made\nfrequent visits to the young prince, whom he loved and admired, but on\nhis next visit he pushed away the playful lad, roughly bidding him\nbegone.\n\nHaakon reproachfully asked, \"What have I done to make you so angry?\"\n\n\"Go away from me,\" cried Helge, the veteran; \"to-day you have been robbed\nof your right to the crown and I have ceased to love you.\"\n\n\"Who did that and where was it done?\"\n\n\"It was done at the _Oere-thing_ [the Assembly at Oere], and those who\ndid it were King Inge and his brother Earl Haakon.\"\n\n\"Then you should not be angry with me, my kind Helge, nor be troubled\nabout this. What they did cannot be lawful, for my guardian was not there\nto speak on my side.\"\n\n\"Your guardian! Who is he?\" asked Helge.\n\n\"I have three guardians, God, the Blessed Virgin, and St. Olaf,\" said the\nboy solemnly. \"To their keeping I give my cause, and they will guard me\nagainst all wrong.\"\n\nThe old man, at this declaration, caught the boy in his arms and kissed\nhim.\n\n\"Thanks for your wise words, my prince,\" he said. \"Words like those are\nbetter spoken than unspoken.\"\n\nThese words show that the little fellow was coming to think for himself\nand had an active and earnest mind. In fact, he was so precocious and\nsaid such droll things as greatly to amuse the king and those around him.\nHere is one of his sayings, spoken in a spell of cold weather when the\nbutter could not be spread on the bread. The prince bent a piece of bread\naround the butter, saying:\n\n\"Let us tie the butter to the bread, Birchlegs.\" This was thought so\nsmart that it became a proverb among the Birchlegs.\n\nSoon after this Earl Haakon died and the little fellow, who had hitherto\nlived in his house, was taken to the king's court, where he was treated\nlike a prince. The king was growing feeble from sickness and he loved to\nhave the boy with him, finding his talk very amusing and entertaining.\nSoon after this he also died, Prince Haakon then being fourteen years\nold.\n\nThough Earl Haakon, the king's brother, who had hoped to be king, died,\nas we have said, before him, there was another brother named Skule who\nwas quite as ambitious and of whom the Birchlegs were much afraid. A\nbody-guard of these faithful warriors took charge of the boy as soon as\nKing Inge was dead, with orders to follow him day and night.\n\nEarl Skule at once began to plan and plot to seize the throne, and in\nthis he was supported by the archbishop, but in spite of them the\nBirchlegs proclaimed Haakon king and Skule had to yield to the strong\nsentiment in his favor. As for the noble then called king by the Baglers,\nhe too died just at this time and left no children, so that the way was\nclear for the boy king, and Haakon soon sailed to the south with a large\nfleet and took possession of Viken and the Uplands, the chief dominions\nof the Baglers.\n\nBy the wise policy of the young king and his advisers the Baglers were\nmade his friends and the next year they were fighting with the Birchlegs\nagainst the Slittungs or Ragamuffins, who were made up of robbers,\ntramps, and wandering vagabonds of all kinds, thousands of whom had been\nset adrift by the civil war.\n\nBut Haakon's worst foe was Earl Skule, who continued his plots and\nintrigues, and who was supported by the clergy, these saying they had\ndoubts if the boy was really the son of the elder Haakon and grandson of\nKing Sverre. Such things were not in those days usually settled in courts\nof law, but by what was called the ordeal, one form of which was to walk\nbarefoot over red-hot irons. If not burned the accused was thought to\nhave proved the justice of his cause.\n\n[Illustration: LINKOPING FROM TANNEFORS.]\n\nFor a king already in possession of the throne to submit to such a demand\nand humble himself by thus trying to prove who he was, was a thing never\ndone before and an old peasant gave vent to the general sentiment in\nthese words:\n\n\"Who can show in history a case of the sons of peasants prescribing terms\nlike these to an absolute king? It would be wiser and more manly to bear\nanother kind of iron--cold steel--against the king's foes, and let God\njudge between them in that way.\"\n\nBut Inga, the king's mother, declared that she was ready to endure the\nordeal and Haakon consented to it. Earl Skule now felt sure of\nsucceeding, not dreaming that the ordeal could be gone through without\nburning, but to make more sure, he bribed a man to approach Inga and\noffer her an herb which he said would heal burns.\n\nThe plot was discovered by the faithful Birchlegs and Inga warned of it;\nfor to use such herbs would make the test invalid and subject Inga and\nher son to opprobrium. But all that Skule and his fellow-plotters could\ndo proved of no avail, for Inga passed through the ordeal unhurt and\ntriumphantly proved, in the legal system of that day, the justice of her\ncause. How red-hot iron was prevented from burning is a matter which we\ncannot discuss, and can only say that this ordeal was common and many are\nsaid to have gone through it unscathed.\n\nWe set out in this story to tell how the child Haakon passed through all\nthe perils that surrounded him and grew up to become Norway's king. Here\nthen we should end, but for years new perils surrounded him and of these\nit is well to speak. They were due to the ambitious Earl Skule, who made\nplot after plot against the king's life, and was forgiven again and again\nby the noble-minded monarch.\n\nKing Haakon's friends sought to put an end to this secret plotting by\narranging a marriage between the young monarch and Earl Skule's still\nyounger daughter Margaret. But this did not check him in his plots, and\nhe finally set sail for Denmark to try and get aid from King Valdemar. He\nwas ready to agree if the kingdom were won to reign as a vassal of the\nDanish king; but when he got there no such king was to be found. He had\nbeen captured in battle five days before, and was now with his son in a\nprison at Mecklenburg. The disappointed plotter had to sail home and\npretend to be the king's friend as before.\n\nFor years Skule's plots went on. He took the field against a new horde of\nrebels called the Ribbungs, but he took care never to press them too\nclosely, and they long gave the king trouble. For more than twenty years\nSkule thus continued to plot and plan, the king discovering his schemes\nand pardoning him more than once, but nothing could cure him of his\nambitious dream.\n\nIn the end, when he was nearly fifty years old, he succeeded in having\nhimself proclaimed king and in sending out bands of warriors who killed\nmany faithful friends of King Haakon. He tried to conceal his purpose\nuntil he had gathered a large force, but one man escaped the vigilance of\nhis guards and brought word of the treachery to Haakon. The latter,\nseeing that he must check this rebellion if he wished to sit safely on\nhis throne, at once took to his fleet, sailed southward with the utmost\nspeed, and rowed, under cover of a fog, up the Folden fiord to Oslo,\nwhere the rebel was. He had been carousing with his followers the night\nbefore and the wassailers were roused from their drunken sleep by the\nwar-horns and ran out to see the king's ships driving in towards the\npiers.\n\nThe rebels were quickly scattered, but Skule escaped, and at length was\ntraced to the woods, where he was wandering with a few friends. The\nfriars of a monastery took pity on them and hid them in a tower,\ndisguised with monkish cowls. Despite their disguise they were traced to\ntheir hiding place, and when the friars refused to give them up the\npursuers set fire to the tower. Driven out by the smoke and heat, Skule\nstepped from the gate, holding his shield above his head and saying:\n\n\"Strike me not in the face; for it is not right to treat warriors thus.\"\n\nIn a minute more he lay dead, slain by Birchleg swords.\n\nThe next act in King Haakon's reign was to have himself crowned king, and\nthus to rid himself of the blot on his claim to the throne. After some\nnegotiations with the Pope, a cardinal was sent from Rome, the ceremony\nbeing performed with much pomp and ceremony, and followed with the most\nmagnificent feasts and festivities Norway had ever seen.\n\nFrom this time on King Haakon ruled as a wise, noble and powerful\nmonarch, making his strength felt by his great fleet and setting Norway\nhigh among the nations of the north. He died at length in 1263, loved by\nhis people and respected by all outside his realm.\n\n\n\n\n_KING VALDEMAR I. AND BISHOP ABSOLON._\n\n\nThe most brilliant period in the history of Denmark was that of the\nreigns of the Valdemars, and especially of Valdemar I. and his sons,\nwhose names and memories are still cherished in that kingdom, the Danes\nregarding them as the greatest and best monarchs they ever had.\n\nThere were wretched times in Denmark before 1157, when Valdemar came to\nthe throne, and his early years were passed in the midst of civil wars\nand all kinds of sorrows and troubles. When the new king was crowned and\nbegan the business of governing, he found little to govern with. There\nwere no money, no soldiers, no trade, no order in the kingdom, everything\nbeing at so low an ebb that he found it necessary, as some writers state,\nto secure support from Germany by recognizing the Emperor Frederick\nBarbarossa as his suzerain and doing homage to him as a vassal in 1162.\nBut this ceremony did not entail upon him any of the usual duties of a\nvassal, and was more of an ordinary alliance than a formal act of\nsubmission.\n\nYet poor as was the state of Denmark when Valdemar came to it as king,\nwhen he died he left it a flourishing, busy and peaceful country, to\nwhich he had added great tracts of land on the pagan shores of the\nBaltic, whose people he forced to give up their heathen practices.\n\nDuring his reign Valdemar made as many as twenty expeditions against\nthese piratical peoples, gradually subduing them. At first, indeed, he\nshowed very little courage, and found so many reasons for turning back\nbefore meeting the foe, that the sailors looked upon him as a coward, and\nonce he overheard one of them say with a laugh, that the king was \"a\nknight who wore his spurs upon his toes, only to help him to run away the\nfaster.\"\n\nThis made him very angry, but on speaking of it to his foster-brother,\nAxel Hvide,--afterwards Bishop Absolon,--he found that the feeling that\nhe lacked the courage of a warrior was general. This contempt made him so\nashamed that from that time on he faced danger bravely and was never\nagain known to turn back from any risk.\n\nThough Axel became a bishop, he had begun life as a soldier and was\nthroughout life bold and daring, a man who loved nothing better than to\ncommand a ship or to lead his men in an assault against some fierce band\nof sea robbers. From his castle Axelborg, on the site of the later city\nof Copenhagen, he kept a keen lookout for these pirates and sought\nmanfully to put an end to their plundering raids.\n\nThe war against the Baltic heathens continued until 1168, when it ended\nin the capture of the town of Arcona, on the island of Rygen, and the\ndestruction of the great temple of the Slavic god Svanteveit, whose\nmonstrous four-headed image was torn down from its pedestal and burned in\nthe presence of its dismayed worshippers.\n\nThe taking of this temple is an event of much interest, for it was due to\nthe shrewdness of a young Danish soldier, who circumvented the heathens\nby a clever stratagem.\n\nWhile the army lay encamped on the island beach, below the town of\nArcona, this man noticed that the high cliffs on which the temple was\nbuilt were honeycombed by many deep holes, which could not be seen from\nthe ramparts above, but were quite visible from the beach below. One day\nit occurred to him that by making use of these holes he could roast the\npagan worshippers out of their nests, and he arranged with some of his\nfellows to carry out his plan.\n\nGathering such dry straw and small sticks as they could collect, the\nsoldiers pretended to be playing at a game of pitch and toss, which if\nseen by the sentinels on the ramparts above would not seem suspicious to\nthem. In this way they caused much of the straw and sticks to lodge in\nthe holes in the steep cliff. Then, by using spears and stones for a\nladder, one of them climbed for a distance up the steep rock wall and set\nfire to some of the inflammable rubbish in the holes.\n\nThe effect was stupendous. The flames spread from hole to hole, creeping\nup the face of the rock until the wooden spikes and palings at its\nsummit were in a blaze. This took place unseen by the pagans, who first\ntook the alarm when they saw flames circling round the great mast from\nwhich floated the banner of their god.\n\nBefore they could take any steps to extinguish the flames, and while they\nstood in a panic of apprehension, the Danes, headed by Bishop Absolon,\nrushed to the assault and succeeded in taking the town.\n\nThere was nothing left for them but to accept baptism, on which their\nlives depended, and the worthy bishop and his monks were kept busy at\nthis work for the next two days and nights, the bishop desisting only\nwhen, half blind from want of sleep, he dropped down before the altar\nthat had been set up beside the fonts, where the converts were received\nand signed with the cross.\n\nThe work of baptism done, King Valdemar caused the huge wooden idol of\nthe god to be dragged amid martial music to the open plain beyond the\ntown, where the army servants chopped it up into firewood. In this work\nthe new converts could not be induced to take part, for, Christians as\nyet only in name, they feared some dread revenge from the great\nSvanteveit, such as lightning from heaven to destroy the Danes.\n\nThe Christians of that age were quite as superstitious, for they declared\nthat when the image was being carried out of the temple gates, a horrible\nmonster, spitting fire and brimstone, burst from the roof and leaped with\nhowls of wrath into the sea below, which opened to receive it, and\nclosed over its head with billows of smoke and flame.\n\nValdemar died in 1182, after making such friends of his people and doing\nso much for them, that when the funeral procession, headed by Bishop\nAbsolon, drew near the church of Ringsted, where the burial was to take\nplace, it was met by a throng of peasants, weeping and lamenting, who\nbegged the privilege of carrying the body of their beloved king to his\nlast resting place.\n\nWhen the bishop began to read the service for the dead his voice failed\nhim and he wept and trembled so much that he had to be held up by some of\nthe assistant monks. After all was over the people went away in deep\ngrief, saying that Denmark's shield and the pagans' scourge had been\ntaken from them and that the country would soon be overrun again by the\nheathen Wends.\n\nBut Absolon kept a firm hand upon the reins of state, and when the young\nPrince Knud, Valdemar's son, was proclaimed king at the age of twenty\neverything was in order. Knud proved as good and gallant as his father,\nholding Denmark bravely against all foes, and when the Emperor Barbarossa\nsent to him to appear before the imperial court at Ratisbon and do homage\nfor his crown, he returned a defiant answer.\n\nThe position of Denmark had greatly changed since Valdemar had obeyed\nsuch a summons, and when the envoy of the emperor brought him the\nimperial command, he sent back the following proud reply:\n\n\"Tell your master that I am as much monarch in my own realm as the kaiser\nis in his, and if he has a fancy for giving away my throne, he had better\nfirst find the prince bold enough to come and take it from me.\"\n\nThis ended all question of the vassalage of Denmark, but the emperor\nnever forgot nor forgave the insult and took every opportunity in after\nyears to stir up strife against Denmark. In 1184 he incited the pagan\nprinces of Pomerania to invade the Danish islands with a fleet of five\nhundred ships. But they had old Bishop Absolon to deal with, and they\nwere so utterly routed that when the fog, which had enabled the Danes to\napproach them unseen, cleared away, only thirty-five of their ships were\nable to keep the sea.\n\nThis victory made Knud ruler over all Pomerania and part of the kingdom\nlater known as Prussia, and he added to his title that of \"King of the\nWends and other Slavs.\" He went on adding to his home kingdom until the\ndominion of Denmark grew very wide.\n\nThat is all we need say about King Knud, but it must be said of Bishop\nAbsolon that he was a wise patron of knightly arts and historical\nlearning and encouraged the great scholar Saxo Grammaticus to write his\nfamous \"History of Denmark,\" in which were gathered all the old Danish\ntales that could be learned from the skalds and poets and found in the\nmonasteries of the age. Absolon, who had loved and cared for the princes\nKnud and Valdemar since their childhood, died in the year 1201 and King\nKnud followed him a few years later, leaving the throne to his brother\nValdemar.\n\n\n\n\n_THE FORTUNES AND MISFORTUNES OF VALDEMAR II._\n\n\nProsperous and glorious was the kingdom of Denmark under Valdemar II. in\nthe early part of his reign, though misery was his lot during many years\nof his life. By his victories he won the title of \"Sejr,\" or \"the\nconqueror,\" and his skill and goodness as a ruler won him the love of his\npeople, while the Danes of to-day look upon him as one of the best and\nnoblest of their kings. He was long regarded by them as the perfect model\nof a noble knight and royal hero, and his first queen, Margrete of\nBohemia, was called by the people \"Dagmar,\" or \"Day's Maiden,\" from their\nadmiration of her gentleness and beauty. In many of their national songs\nshe is represented as a fair, fragile, golden-haired princess, mild and\npure as a saint, the only sin she could think of to confess on her\ndeath-bed being that she had put on her best dress and plaited her hair\nwith bright ribbons before going to mass. While the Danes thus regard the\nmemory of Queen Dagmar, they have no words too bad to use in speaking of\nValdemar's second queen, the black-haired Berangaria, whose name became\nwith them a by-word for a vile woman.\n\nBut Valdemar's tale is largely one of sorrow and suffering and rarely has\nmonarch had to bear so cruel a fate as was his during many unhappy years\nof his life.\n\nValdemar was the son of Valdemar I., and brother of King Knud, for whom\nas a prince he fought bravely, putting down the Sleswick rebels, who had\nbeen stirred to rebellion by the German emperor, and conquering his\nenemy, Count Adolf of Holstein. Succeeding his brother Knud in 1202, his\nfirst exploit was the conquest of Pomerania, which Knud had won before\nhim. This was now added to the Danish dominions, and in 1217 the German\nemperor of that date granted to him and the future kings of Denmark all\nthe territories north of the Elbe and the Elde. Thus Valdemar was made\nmaster of a great part of northern Germany and ruled over a wider\ndominion to the south than any Danish king before or after.\n\nHis success in the south led him to attempt the conquest of the north,\nand armies were sent to Norway and Sweden with the hope of winning these\nkingdoms for the Danish crown. In this effort he failed, but in 1219 his\nzeal for the Church and love of adventure led him to undertake a great\nexpedition, a crusade against the heathens of Esthonia.\n\nGathering an army of sixty thousand men and a fleet of fourteen hundred\nships, a mighty force even for the small craft of that day, he quickly\nmade himself master of that stronghold of paganism, great numbers of the\npeople consenting to be baptized. But here he found a new and unexpected\nenemy and had to fight fiercely for the privilege of carrying the cross\nof Christ to the heathen Esthonians.\n\nHis new enemies were the Knights of the Sword, of Livonia, who declared\nthat the duty of converting the pagans in that region belonged to them,\nand that no other Christians had the right to interfere. And from this\nensued a war in which fierce battles were fought and much blood was shed,\nfor the purpose of deciding who should have the privilege of converting\nthe heathen. It is doubtful if ever before or since a war has been fought\nfor such a purpose, and the heathens themselves must have looked on with\ngrim satisfaction to see their enemies cutting each other's throats to\nsettle the question as to who had the best right to baptize them.\n\nIn one of the battles with the heathens, while Bishop Andreas, the\nsuccessor to Bishop Absolon, was praying on a high hill with uplifted\nhands for victory, there suddenly fell down from heaven the Danneborg,\nthe national standard of Denmark. At least, that is what legend tells us\nof its appearance.\n\nIt is held to be much more probable that this banner, bearing a white\ncross on a blood-red field, was sent by the Pope to Valdemar as a token\nof his favor and support, and that its sudden appearance, when the Danes\nwere beginning to waver before the pagan assaults, gave them the spirit\nthat led to victory. The result, in those days of superstition, naturally\ngave rise to the legend.\n\nWhen Valdemar returned a victor from Esthonia, having beaten alike the\npagans and the Livonian knights, and bearing with him the victorious\nDanneborg, he was at the height of his glory, and none dreamed of the\nterrible disaster that awaited him. He had made enemies among the German\nprinces, and they conspired against him, but they were forced to submit\nto his rule. Some of those whose lands he had seized did not hesitate to\nexpress openly their hatred for him; but others, while secretly plotting\nagainst him, pretended to be his friends, shared in his wars and his\ncourtly ceremonies, and were glad to accept favors from his hands.\n\nOne of those who hated him most bitterly, yet who seemed most attached to\nhim, was the Count-Duke of Schwerin, a man who, alike from his dark\ncomplexion and his evil disposition, was known in his own country as\n\"Black Henry.\" The king had often been warned to beware of this man, but,\nfrank and open by nature and slow to suspect guile, he disregarded these\nwarnings and went on treating him as a trusty friend.\n\nThis enabled Count Henry to make himself familiar with Valdemar's habits\nand mode of life. He secretly aided certain traitors who cherished evil\ndesigns against the king; but when he found that all these plots failed\nhe devised one of his own which the king's trust in him aided him in\ncarrying out.\n\nIn the spring of the year 1233 Valdemar invited his seeming friend to a\ntwo days' hunt which he proposed to enjoy in the woods of Lyoe, but the\ncount sent word that he regretted his inability to join him, as he had\nbeen hurt by a fall and could not leave his bed.\n\nHis bed just then was his horse's saddle. The opportunity which he\nawaited had come, and he spent the night scouring the country in search\nof aid for the plot he had in view, which was no less than to seize and\nhold prisoner his trusting royal friend. He knew the island well, and\nwhen his spies told him that the king and his son Valdemar had landed at\nLyoe with a small following of huntsmen and servants, Black Henry prepared\nto carry out his plot.\n\nThe king's first day's hunt was a hard one and he and his son slept\nsoundly that night in the rude hut that had been put up for their use. No\none thought of any need of guarding it and the few attendants of the king\nwere scattered about, sleeping under the shelter of rocks and trees.\n\nLate that night Count Henry and his men landed and made their way\nsilently and cautiously through the tired sleepers to the royal hut,\nwhich he well knew where to find. Quietly entering, they deftly gagged\nthe king and prince before they could awake, and before either of them\ncould raise a hand in resistance sacks of wool and straw were drawn over\ntheir heads, so closely as nearly to choke them, and strong bonds were\ntied round their legs and arms.\n\nThus thoroughly disabled, the strong king and his youthful son were\ncarried through the midst of their own people to the strand and laid\nhelplessly in the bottom of the waiting boat, which was rowed away with\nmuffled oars, gliding across the narrow sound to the shore of Fyen. Here\nwaited a fast-sailing yacht to which the captives were transferred, sail\nbeing set before a favoring wind for the German coast.\n\nThe next morning, when the king's attendants were searching for the\nmissing king, he and his son, still bound and gagged, were landed on a\nlonely part of the sea-shore, placed on awaiting horses, and tightly\nsecured to the saddles, after which they were hurried on at full gallop,\nstopping only at intervals to change the armed escort, until the castle\nof Danneberg, in Hanover, was reached.\n\nThis castle had been loaned by its owner to Count Henry, he having no\nstronghold of his own deemed secure enough to hold such important\ncaptives. So roughly had they been treated that when the bonds were\nremoved from Prince Valdemar, who resembled his mother Dagmar alike in\nhis beauty and her feebleness, the blood flowed from every part of his\nbody. Yet, without regard to his youth and sufferings, the cruel captor\nshut up him and his royal father in a cold and dark dungeon, where they\nwere left without a change of clothing and fed on the poorest and\ncoarsest food.\n\nThis, many might say, was a just retribution on King Valdemar, for years\nbefore, when as a prince he had put down the rebellion in Sleswick, he\nhad seized its chief leader, his namesake Bishop Valdemar, and kept him\nfor many years in chains and close confinement in the dungeon of Soeborg\nCastle, and had later subjected Count Adolf of Holstein to the same fate.\nBishop Valdemar had been released after fourteen years' imprisonment at\nthe entreaty of Queen Dagmar, and was ever after one of the most bitter\nenemies of the Danish king.\n\nBut though a bishop and count might be thus held captive, it is difficult\nto conceive of a powerful monarch being kept prisoner by a minor noble\nfor three long years, despite all that could be done for his release.\nNothing could give a clearer idea of the lawless state of those times.\nKing Valdemar and his son lay wearing the bonds of felons and suffering\nfrom cold and hunger while the emperor and the Pope sought in vain for\ntheir release, threatening Black Henry with all the penalties decreed by\nempire and church for those who raised their hands against a prince.\n\nThe shrewd captor readily promised all that was asked of him. He would\nrelease his captives without delay. Yet he had no intention to keep his\nword, for he knew that Rome and Ratisbon were too far from Danneberg to\ngive him serious cause for alarm, especially as the other nobles of\nnorthern Germany were prepared to help him in keeping their common enemy\nin prison.\n\nAs for Denmark itself, the people were infuriated and eagerly demanded to\nbe led to the rescue of their beloved king; yet Valdemar's sons were\nstill young, all the kinsmen of the royal family had been banished or\nwere dead, and there was no one with the power and right to take control\nof public affairs.\n\nFor some time, indeed, the fate of the king remained unknown to the\npeople. Valdemar's nephew Albert, Count of Orlamunde, was on his way to\nRome when the news of the king's capture reached him. He immediately\nturned back, collected an army, and gave battle to the German princes who\nwere helping Count Henry to defend Danneberg. But his hasty levies were\ndefeated and he taken prisoner, to be thrown into the same dungeon as the\nroyal captive.\n\nFinally King Valdemar, seeing no other hope of release, agreed to the\nterms offered by Black Henry, which were that he should pay a ransom of\n45,000 silver marks, give him all the jewels of the late Queen Berangaria\nnot already bestowed on churches and monasteries, and send him a hundred\nmen-at-arms, with horses and arms for their use. For assurance of this he\nwas to send his three younger sons to Danneberg to be kept in prison with\nCount Albert until the money was paid.\n\nThese terms agreed to, the king and prince were set free. Valdemar at\nonce hastened to Denmark, which he found in a fearful state from its\nhaving been three years without a head. Humbled and crushed in spirit,\nfinding all his dominions in Germany set free from their allegiance and\nall the kingdoms won by his valor lost to Denmark, he scarcely knew what\nsteps to take. The ransom demanded he was unable to pay and he grieved at\nthe thought of subjecting his young sons to the fate from which he had\nescaped. In his misery he wrote to the Pope, asking to be released from\nthe oath which had been exacted from him to let his children go into\ncaptivity.\n\nThe Pope, full of pity for him, sent a bishop to Count Henry, telling him\nthat if he tried to enforce the demand exacted under durance from the\nking of Denmark, he should be deprived of the services of religion and be\nheavily fined by the papal power for his cruel and unrighteous act. Thus\ncalled to account for his treachery and wickedness, Black Henry was\nforced to forego the final cruel exaction of his traitor soul.\n\nMisfortune, however, pursued Valdemar. When in 1227 the peasants of\nDitmarsh refused to pay the tribute they had long paid the Danish crown,\nthe insult to his weakness was more than the king could endure. He\nmarched an army into their lands, but only to find himself defeated and\nfour thousand of his men killed by the rebels, who were strongly aided by\nthe German princes of Holstein, and especially by Count Adolf, his former\ncaptive. He himself was wounded in the eye by an arrow which struck him\nto the ground, and would have been captured a second time but for the aid\nof a friendly German knight.\n\nThis foeman had been formerly in Valdemar's service, and when he saw his\nold royal master helpless and bleeding, he lifted him to his saddle and\ncarried him to Kiel, where his wounds were healed, means being then found\nto send him back to his kingdom.\n\nValdemar remained on the throne for fourteen years afterwards, but these\nwere years of peace. War no longer had charms for him and he devoted\nhimself to the duties of government and to preparing codes of law for the\nprovinces of his kingdom. In that age there were no general laws for the\nwhole country.\n\nThe laws of Valdemar continued in force for four hundred and fifty years,\nand in 1687, when Christian V. framed a new code of laws, some of the old\nones of Valdemar were retained. In them the old custom of the ordeal was\nset aside, being replaced by the system of the jury, one form of which\nconsisted of \"eight good men and true\" chosen by the king, and another of\ntwelve men chosen by the people. The laws were lenient, for most crimes\ncould be atoned for by money or other fines. Three days after the last of\nthese codes was approved Valdemar died, at the age of seventy-one,\nleaving three sons all of whom in turn ruled after him. His son Valdemar,\nwho shared his imprisonment, had died long before.\n\n\n\n\n_BIRGER JARL AND THE CONQUEST OF FINLAND._\n\n\nBirger Jarl, who became one of the great men of Sweden about 1250, rose\nto such importance in the early history of that kingdom that one cannot\npass him by without saying something about his career. Sweden was then a\nChristian kingdom and had been for many years, for the religion of Christ\nhad been preached there, as the sagas tell, four centuries earlier. But\nheathenism prevailed until long afterwards, and it was not until the days\nof King Stenkil, who came to the throne in 1061, that an earnest effort\nwas made to introduce the Christian worship. Finally paganism completely\ndied out, and when Birger came to the throne Sweden had long been a\nChristian realm.\n\nBut paganism still had a stronghold in Finland, and when Bishop Thomas, a\nzealous churchman, of English birth, proclaimed that the Christians\nshould have no intercourse with the pagans in Finland or even sell them\nfood, the Finlanders became so incensed that they invaded the Christian\ncountry and put the people to death with frightful tortures. Their\ncruelties created terror everywhere and Bishop Thomas fled to Gothland\nwhere, crazed with horror at the result of his proclamation, he soon\ndied.\n\nKing Erik was then on the throne of Sweden, but Birger, the son of a\ngreat earl of Gothland, became a famous warrior, and as the king had no\nsons he made Birger a jarl, or earl, and chose him as his heir. One of\nthe exploits by which Birger had won fame was the following. The town of\nLuebeck, in North Germany, was closely besieged by the king of Denmark,\nwho had cut it off from the sea by stretching strong iron chains across\nthe river Trave, on which the town is situated. He thus hoped to starve\nthe people into surrender, and would have done so had not Birger come to\ntheir rescue. He had the keels of some large ships plated with iron,\nloaded them with provisions, and sailed up the river towards the\nbeleaguered city. Hoisting all sail before a strong wind, he steered\nsquarely on to the great chains, and struck them with so mighty a force\nthat they snapped asunder and the ships reached the town with their\nsupplies, whereupon the Danish king abandoned the siege. This story is of\ninterest, as these are the first iron-plated ships spoken of in history.\n\nBy this and other exploits Birger grew in esteem, and when the Finns\nbegan their terrible work in the north he and the king summoned the\npeople to arms, and the old warlike spirit, which had long been at rest,\nwas reawakened in the hearts of the Swedes. The Pope at Rome had\nproclaimed a crusade against the Finns, promising the same privileges to\nall who took part in it as were enjoyed by those then taking part in the\ncrusades to the Holy Land, and on all sides the people grew eager to\nengage in this sacred war.\n\nThen there was brushing and furbishing on all sides; ancestral swords,\nwhich had long hung rusting on the walls, were taken down and sharpened\nanew; helmets and cuirasses were burnished until they shone like silver\nor gold; tight-closed purses were opened by those who wished to aid the\ncause of Christ; and old ships were made ready for the waves and new ones\nlaunched. Rosy lips were kissed by lovers who would never kiss them\nagain, and loud was the weeping of the maidens and mothers who saw those\nthey loved setting out for the war, but they consoled themselves as best\nthey could by the thought that it was all for the glory of God. Men of\nSweden had gone to the crusades in Palestine, but here was a crusade of\ntheir own at home, and all were eager to take part in it.\n\nA great fleet was got together and set sail under the command of Birger\nJarl. Its course lay up the Gulf of Bothnia, and where it came to land\nBirger erected a great wooden cross as a sign that he had come for the\nspread of the Christian faith. From this the place was called Korsholm.\n\nThe heathen Finns knew of his coming and had gathered in great numbers to\ndefend their country against its invaders, but nothing could stay the\nfury of the crusaders, who were incensed with the cruelties these\nbarbarians had committed, and drove them back in dismay wherever they met\nthem, Birger Jarl showing the greatest skill as a leader. He made public\na law that all who became Christians should be protected in life and\nproperty, and within two years he succeeded in introducing Christianity\ninto that country--perhaps more in appearance than reality. At any rate\nhe built forts, and settled a colony of Swedes in East Bothnia, and thus\ndid much towards making Finland a province of Sweden.\n\nWhile this was going on King Erik the Lame died (in 1250). As he left no\nheir there were many pretenders to the crown. The fact that Birger had\nbeen named by the king two years before was lost sight of, and it looked\nas if there would be civil war between the many claimants. To prevent any\nsuch result a powerful noble named Iwar hastily summoned an assembly and\nthrough his influence Valdemar, Birger Jarl's son, was chosen as king.\nThis was all done so quickly that it was completed in fourteen days after\nErik's death.\n\nWhen the news of this hasty action reached Birger in Finland he was very\nangry, and hastened home with all speed, bringing with him the greater\npart of his army. He was highly displeased that he had not himself been\nnamed king, as had been promised, instead of a boy, even if the boy was\nhis son. Calling together those who had made the choice of Valdemar, he\nhotly asked them:\n\n\"Who among you was so bold as to order an election during my absence,\nthough you knew that King Erik named me Jarl and chose me for his heir?\nAnd why did you choose a child for your king?\"\n\nIwar answered that it was he that ordered the election and said:\n\n[Illustration: From stereograph, copyright by Underwood and Underwood,\nN.Y. VILLAGE LIFE AND HOMES IN SWEDEN.]\n\n\"Though you are indeed most worthy to wear the crown, you are advanced in\nyears and cannot live to rule us as long as your son.\"\n\nThis answer brought another angry outbreak from Birger and Iwar again\nsaid:\n\n\"If you do not like this, do with your son what you please. There is no\nfear but we shall be able to find another king.\"\n\nFor a time Birger sat in moody silence, and then asked:\n\n\"Who then would you take for your king?\"\n\n\"I also can shake out a king from under my cloak,\" was Iwar's haughty\nanswer.\n\nThis threw the Jarl into a dilemma. The faces of the people present\nshowed their approval of what Iwar had said, and at length, fearing that\nif he resisted their action the crown might be lost both to himself and\nhis son, he gave in to their decision.\n\nTo give dignity to the occasion, he took steps to have his son crowned\nwith much magnificence, and shortly after sent his daughter Rikissa with\ngreat pomp and a rich dower to the frontier of Norway, where she was met\nby the king of that country and was married with stately ceremony to his\nson. The next year Birger's mother died, and as there was a prophecy that\nher family would remain in power as long as her head was up, he had her\nburied upright, being walled up in a pillar in Bjelbo Church so that her\nhead should never droop.\n\nBirger Jarl belonged to a great family called the Folkungers, who long\nheld all the power in Sweden, and many of whom had been aspirants for the\nthrone. These were so angry at being deprived of what they had hoped for\nthat they determined to take the throne by force, and their leaders went\nto Denmark and Germany, where they collected a large army. When they\nlanded in Sweden many of the people of that country joined them, and\nthough Birger had also a large force he began to fear the result.\n\nHe therefore sent his chancellor, Bishop Kol, to ask for a personal\ninterview with the leaders of the opposite force, with solemn promises of\nsafety. Yielding to the bishop's persuasions, the chiefs accompanied him\nacross the river that separated the two armies. Then Birger did a\ndastardly act. No sooner had the chiefs come within his power than he had\nthem seized and beheaded on the spot as rebels.\n\nThus fell a number of the leading men of Sweden, and, the leaders fallen,\nBirger attacked and easily dispersed their army, sparing the Swedes, but\ncutting to pieces all the Germans that could be overtaken. Thus he added\ngreatly to the power of his family, but by an act of treachery and\nperjury for which Archbishop Lars laid upon him a heavy penance. As for\nBishop Kol, who had been made the innocent agent in this shameful deed,\nhe never read mass again, and finally resigned his office and left his\ncountry, journeying as a pilgrim to the Holy Land in expiation for his\ninvoluntary crime. He never found peace and rest until he found them in\nthe grave.\n\nBirger Jarl by these means rose to be the mightiest man in the north. His\nson was king of Norway, his daughter was queen of Sweden, and his\ndaughter-in-law was a princess of Denmark, for when Valdemar became\ntwenty years of age he sought and won for his bride the beautiful Danish\nPrincess Sophia. The marriage was one of great pomp, a great hall being\nbuilt for the occasion, where the courtiers appeared in new-fashioned\ndresses of rich stuffs, and there were plenty of banquets, games, dances,\nand even tilts and tournaments, all conducted according to the noblest\ncustom of the times.\n\nBirger himself had a queen for his wife, having married the dowager Queen\nMechthild of Denmark, and to increase his importance he assumed the title\nof duke, never before borne in Sweden. But many of the peasants called\nhim king, since he governed the kingdom and was married to a queen. But\nmeanwhile poor Bishop Kol was dying of grief for the deed of shame into\nwhich this proud lord had led him.\n\nShall we here tell an interesting and romantic story about one of\nBirger's brothers? He was a judge in East Gothland, his name being Bengt,\nand had fallen deeply in love with a damsel named Sigrid, whose family\nwas not rich nor great, though she herself was so beautiful that she was\nwidely known as Sigrid the Fair.\n\nDuke Birger was not pleased with the idea of such a match, thinking the\ngirl, though of noble birth, of far too lowly rank to mate with a member\nof his family. But in such things Judge Bengt had a will of his own and\nhe married Sigrid without Birger's consent. This so displeased the proud\njarl that he sent Bengt a cloak, half of which was made of gold brocade\nand the other of coarse and common baize. This was in token of the\ndifference in rank of the families of Bengt and Sigrid and a significant\nhint that he should separate from his new wife.\n\nBut Bengt was equal to the situation. He covered the coarse half of the\ncloak with gold, pearls and precious stones so as to make it more\nvaluable than the other, and this he sent to his brother with no other\nanswer. This only irritated Birger the more, and he sent back the\nmessage, \"that he would speak with his brother face to face about this\naffair,\" adding some harsh words which were also repeated to Bengt.\n\nThen, soon after this, the angry jarl saddled his horse and rode with a\nlarge company to Ulfasa, where Bengt lived. When the judge saw the jarl's\ntrain near at hand he fled from his house to the woods, leaving his wife,\nwhom he had carefully instructed how to act, to meet his irritated\nbrother.\n\nWhen the angry jarl rode into the court, fully prepared to call his\nerring brother severely to account, he was surprised to see the fairest\nwoman he had ever beheld come forward to meet him. She was adorned with\nthe most costly robes and precious ornaments she could command and\neverything had been done to enhance the charm of her beauty. Stepping\nforth before the jarl, who gazed at her with astonishment, she bowed low\nand welcomed him with all honor and courtesy.\n\nSo astonished was Birger with the charming vision that he sprang from his\nhorse and seized Sigrid in his arms, saying, \"Had my brother not done\nthis I should have done it myself.\"\n\nLeading him to the house, she entertained him with the best cheer, and\nBengt being sent for to the wood, the two brothers were fully reconciled.\nSuch an effect have the charms of a fair woman over the pride and passion\nof men.\n\nA few words must serve to finish the story of Birger Jarl. The greatest\nand most valuable service of his reign lay in the new laws he gave the\ncountry and his doing away with many of the old barbarian customs to\nreplace them with the customs of civilization.\n\nBefore this time it was the common practice for the relatives of a\nmurdered man to avenge him on the family of the murderer, thus giving\nrise to long and bloody feuds. This custom Birger forbade, ordering every\none to seek redress for injury at the courts of justice. He also passed\nfour Laws of Peace, viz.: for the Peace of the Church, of Women, of\nHouse, and of Assize.\n\nEvery one was forbidden to assault another in the church or the\nchurchyard or on the way to or from church. Whoever did so was declared\noutlawed, and if the assailed man killed his assailant he was held free\nfrom blame or revenge. This was the Peace of the Church.\n\nAnother ancient custom was to carry away a desired bride by force,\nwithout her consent or that of her parents, a fight often arising in\nwhich the bride's father and brothers were killed. Or on the way of an\naffianced pair to church the same outrage might take place, the\nbridegroom being often killed. This, too, was forbidden under penalty of\noutlawry, the new law being that of Peace for Women.\n\nTo promote general security he forbade, under the same penalty, the\nattacking of any man, his wife, children, or servants, within his house\nor on his property. This was the Law of Home-peace or House-peace. All\nviolence was in like manner forbidden to any one going to or attending an\nassembly of the people, this being the Peace of Assize.\n\nBirger Jarl improved the laws in many other ways and made Sweden a far\nmore civilized country than it had been before his time. Another of his\nuseful acts was the founding of the city of Stockholm, which before his\nday was a mere village on an island, but which he made a stronghold and\ncity, inviting that commerce to which its situation so excellently\nadapted it. This was one of the most important acts of Birger Jarl, who\ndied soon afterwards, not living to see the rapid growth in importance of\nhis new city.\n\n\n\n\n_THE FIRST WAR BETWEEN SWEDEN AND RUSSIA._\n\n\nIn the last tale it was told how Birger Jarl subdued the Finns and\nbrought then to give up their heathen practices and accept Christianity.\nBut this refers only to the section of Finland bordering on the Baltic\nSea. Farther east the Finns were pagans still, worshipping idols and\nliving a savage life in their vast forests, and bitterly hating the\nChristians. At times they would come in hordes out of their wild\nwoodlands and attack the settled people, killing them in the most cruel\nway their distorted fancies could contrive.\n\nThey had two chief deities, Jumal, the great good one, and Perkel, the\ngreat evil one, and these were supposed to meet in fierce encounters in\nwhich they would throw each other over high mountains. The people kept\nwooden images of these deities in their huts, and had also open places in\nthe forest, with a stone on the centre of each, on which they made\nsacrifices to their divinities. When a Karelian, as these people were\ncalled, came to within a fixed distance of the sacrificial stone, he took\noff his cap and crawled up to it silently, making sacrifices there of the\nbones and horns of elk and reindeer. In case of danger they would\nsacrifice goats, cats and cocks, sprinkling their idols with the blood of\nthese animals.\n\nAt that time, shortly before the year 1300, Birger, heir to the throne of\nSweden, was very young, and the country was under the rule of Torkel\nKnutson, regent of the kingdom and a wise and energetic man. Exasperated\nby the cruelties committed by the Karelians on the Christians, he\ndetermined to put a stop to them and sailed to Finland with a strong\narmy. Against this force the pagan foresters could not make head and they\nwere soon obliged to submit. A fort with a strong garrison was built at\nWiborg to keep them in order, and the churchmen who went with the\nexpedition strove to convert them.\n\nIt is not with these savage woodsmen, however, that we are concerned, but\nwith the Russians, with which people the Swedes now first came into\nwarlike contact. The forest Russians of that day were as savage as the\nFinns and as hard to deal with. They came to the help of the Karelians in\nthis war, and to punish them the regent took Castle Kexholm, their chief\nstronghold, and left in it a garrison under Sigge Lake. It was this that\nbrought on the first war between the Swedes and the Russians, some of the\nevents of which are so interesting that it is worth telling about.\n\nAfter the Swedes had held Kexholm for some time their food supply ran\nvery low, and as no aid came from home many of them wished to abandon the\nfort. This Sigge Lake would not listen to. He had been left there to hold\nthe place and did not intend to give it up. But only the bravest of his\nmen remained with him, the others leaving under pretext of sending food\nand reinforcements from home.\n\nNeither men nor supplies arrived and the Russians, learning of the state\nof affairs, gathered in multitudes around the fort, laying close siege to\nit. In the end, after a brave resistance lasting many days, food became\nso scarce that the Swedes dared not stay any longer and they determined\nto try and cut their way through the besiegers.\n\nThe gates were thrown open and Sigge rushed out at the head of his\ncompany, with such force and fury that for a time it seemed as if they\nwould succeed. But they were weakened by semi-starvation and in the end\nthe swarming Russians killed them all but two, who alone made their\nescape and carried the news of the disaster back to Sweden.\n\nThe regent was greatly distressed at the loss of the brave men whom he\nhad left so long without support. It was too late to save their lives but\nhe felt it his duty to avenge them. To do so he set sail with another\narmy, making his way up the river Neva, the stream on which the city of\nSt. Petersburg was afterwards built. No enemy was seen and the regent\nlanded on an island in the river, where he built a strong fort which he\nnamed Landscrona, furnishing it plentifully with provisions.\n\nThe Russians, when they found what was being done, were infuriated. A\ngreat multitude of them, thirty thousand in number, gathered on the Neva\nand made a vigorous effort to burn the Swedish fleet, sending rafts down\nthe stream on which were great heaps of blazing wood. But the regent\ncaught these by iron chains which he stretched across the stream, holding\nthe fire-floats until they burned out.\n\nThis effort failing, the Russians made a fierce attack on the fortress,\nwith such savage violence that though many of them fell the others would\nnot give up the assault. But so strong and so well defended was the place\nthat they failed in this also, and in the end were obliged to retreat,\nleaving great numbers of dead behind them. Then a young and brave knight\nin the garrison, named Matts Kettilmundson, made a sortie against the\nRussians and drove them back in panic flight, many more of them being\nkilled.\n\nShortly after this a party of Russian cavalry, one thousand strong,\nappeared in the edge of a wood, not far from the fort, their armor\ngleaming brightly in the sunlight. While the garrison were looking at\nthem from the walls, the brave knight Matts Kettilmundson asked\npermission of the regent to ride out against them, saying that \"he would\nventure a brush with the bravest among them.\"\n\nThe regent having consented, the daring fellow put on his armor and had\nhis horse led through the gate. Leaping on it he rode out, and when he\nhad passed the moat, turned back to his friends who lined the wall.\n\n\"Strive to live happily,\" he said, \"and do not be troubled about me, for\nit depends on God in heaven whether I shall return with a captive foe or\nfail to return at all.\"\n\nHe then rode boldly on and sent an interpreter to the Russian lines,\nchallenging the bravest of the Russians to fight with him for life, goods\nand freedom. It must be borne in mind that those were the days of\nchivalry and knight-errantry, when such adventures and challenges were\ncommon things and good faith was kept with those who made them. So no\nforce or treachery was attempted against the daring knight, although we\nshould hardly have looked for knightly deeds and chivalrous ways in the\nRussia of that day.\n\nHowever, as the story goes on to say, the Russian king appealed in vain\nfor a knight to try conclusions with the Swedish champion. Not a man in\nthe troop was ready to make the venture, and Sir Matts sat his horse\nthere all day long waiting in vain for an antagonist. As evening\napproached he rode back to the fortress, where every one congratulated\nand praised him for his courage. The next morning the Russians had\ndisappeared.\n\nSoon after this, the army growing weary and longing for home, the regent\nset sail down stream, leaving three hundred men and abundant supplies in\nthe fort, under a knight named Swen. But as contrary winds detained the\nfleet Sir Matts landed with a strong party of horsemen and made long\nraids into the country, gathering much booty, with which he returned to\nthe ships. Then the army continued its way home, where it was received\nwith much joy.\n\nBut the garrison in Landscrona did not find their lot much better than\nhad the former garrison in Kexholm. The new walls were damp and the\nadvancing summer brought hot weather, so that their provisions began to\nspoil. As a consequence scurvy and other diseases broke out and many of\nthe men died. Some of those who remained wished to send home for help,\nbut others objected to this, saying that \"they preferred waiting for help\nfrom heaven and did not wish to trouble the regent, who had enough to\nattend to at home.\"\n\nWhen the Russians gathered around the fort to attack it, as they soon\ndid, only twenty men in the garrison were fit to bear arms in defence.\nThese could not properly guard the walls and the Russians steadily\nadvanced, all losses being made up from their great numbers, until in no\ngreat time the walls were taken. The Swedes retired to their houses,\ncontinuing to fight, but as the Russians set fire to these, the governor\nand some others threw down their arms, offering to surrender. They were\nat once cut down by the assailants.\n\nThe few who remained alive now took refuge in a stone cellar, where they\ndefended themselves manfully; and refused to submit until the enemy had\noffered them their lives. Then they yielded and were carried as captives\ninto the country, the fortress being razed to the ground. Thus, in the\nyear 1300, ended the first war between Russia and Sweden. The Swedes\nfought well and died nobly, but they lost their lives through the neglect\nof their countrymen and rulers.\n\n\n\n\n_THE CRIME AND PUNISHMENT OF KING BIRGER._\n\n\nWhen the events narrated in the last tale took place, there were three\nyoung princes in the kingdom, Birger, Erik and Valdemar, Torkel, the\nregent, ruling in their name. But when the princes grew up Birger, the\noldest, was crowned king, the other two becoming dukes. But very early in\nBirger's reign there arose many complaints about the conduct of his\nbrothers, who showed themselves haughty and insubordinate. The ill-blood\nin time grew to such an extent that the king dismissed his brothers from\nhis presence, giving them until sunset to leave.\n\n\"After that,\" he said, \"if you shall fall into my hands, it will go ill\nwith you.\"\n\nThis gave rise to bitter enmity and the two dukes gave King Birger no end\nof trouble, there being war between them three times in succession,\nbringing the country into a miserable state. During the second war King\nBirger was taken prisoner by his brothers, but he was afterwards set free\nunder the promise that he would no more disturb Sweden, a third part of\nwhich was left under his rule.\n\nHe did not intend to keep his word, but was no sooner set free than he\nsought aid from his brother-in-law, the king of Denmark, and invaded the\nkingdom with a Danish army. This was the third war above spoken of. It\nended without the king gaining anything but the third of the kingdom,\nwhich had already been promised to him. After each of these wars the\nbrothers became reconciled, and lived for a time peacefully in their\ndominions, but they laid such heavy taxes on the people to support their\nextravagant courts that great misery prevailed.\n\nAfter the last outbreak all remained quiet for nearly ten years, and the\ndukes thought that their brother was friendly towards them, not dreaming\nthat his heart was full of hate and treachery.\n\nIn 1317, when Duke Valdemar made a journey to Stockholm, which was in his\nsection of the kingdom, he stopped at Nykoeping to visit his brother\nBirger, whom he had not seen for a long time. Birger met him with a great\nshow of friendliness, making him welcome in every way. Queen Martha was\nequally kind, and Valdemar was highly pleased with these tokens of\nregard. Before he left the queen complained to him that it gave her great\npain that Duke Erik avoided his brother, saying that God knew she loved\nhim as much as if he were her own brother.\n\nAfter spending the night with them Valdemar rode away very well pleased.\nHis men were equally pleased, for they had been well entertained. On\nleaving Stockholm he went to Erik's home in Westmoreland, who told him\nthat he had just been invited to visit Birger's court, and asked if he\nthought it safe to make such a visit.\n\nValdemar said he had no doubt of it, telling of what a pleasant visit he\nhad made. Erik, however, had doubts, being distrustful of the queen and\nChancellor Brunke, whom he looked upon as his enemies. But in the end the\nbrothers decided to accept the invitation and rode away towards Nykoeping.\nWhen six miles distant they met a knight who advised them to go no\nfarther, saying:\n\n\"You will cause yourselves and your friends much sorrow if both of you\ntrust yourselves in the king's hands at the same time.\"\n\nValdemar indignantly replied to this that \"there are too many who seek to\nbreed disunion between the king and his brothers.\"\n\nThe knight then rode off, saying no more, and the dukes rode into Swaerta,\nwhere they proposed to spend the night. To their surprise no preparations\nhad been made for them, but a knight met them and saluted them in the\nking's name, adding that he earnestly requested them not to repose until\nthey reached Nykoeping, as his longing to meet them was so great that he\ncould not rest until they arrived.\n\nOn receiving this warm request they rode on, reaching Nykoeping in the\nevening. The king advanced from the castle gate to meet them, greeting\nthem in an affectionate manner, and taking each of them by the hands as\nhe led them into the castle. They found a rich feast prepared for them,\nat which neither mead, wine, nor fair words were wanting. At length Duke\nValdemar grew suspicious and said to his brother that they were drinking\ntoo much wine. But this was soon forgotten and the feast went on, Queen\nMartha showing herself very gay and lively and every one being full of\nthe spirit of enjoyment.\n\nIt was late at night before the merrymaking ended and the dukes went to\ntheir rooms. The queen then said to their men, who had also been well\ntaken care of:\n\n\"Lodging has been prepared for you in the town, as there is not room\nenough for you in the castle.\"\n\nAs they went out Chancellor Brunke stood at the gate, making sure that\nthey had all gone, when he shut the castle gates behind them. Then he\narmed the servants and led them to the king. Birger, who seemed in some\ndoubt, bade them to retire and turned to Sir Knut Johanson, asking if he\nwould assist in making prisoners of the dukes.\n\n\"I will not, my lord,\" said Sir Knut. \"Whoever has counselled you to do\nthis is leading you into a great treachery. What, would you deceive and\nmurder your brothers who came here trusting in your good faith? The devil\nhimself must be your tempter. Let who will be angry on this account, I\nwill never help you in it.\"\n\n\"Small care you have for my honor,\" said the king angrily.\n\n\"Little honor can accrue to you from such an act,\" answered Sir Knut\nsturdily. \"If you should carry out this design your honor will be less\nhere-after.\"\n\nTwo other knights warned the king against so treacherous a deed, but he\nwas so displeased with their words that he ordered them to prison.\n\nThen he led his armed servants to the sleeping apartment of the dukes and\nbroke open the door, the noise awakening the sleepers. Valdemar sprang\nup, and seeing armed men entering the room, he seized one of them and\nthrew him down, calling on his brother for help.\n\n\"There is no use in resisting, brother,\" said Erik, seeing the room\nfilling with armed men.\n\nThe king now rushed in and called out savagely:\n\n\"Do you remember Hatuna? It will not be better for you here than it was\nfor me there, for you shall have the same fate, though it has tarried so\nlong.\"\n\nHatuna was the place where the king had previously been taken prisoner by\nhis brothers, in somewhat the same treacherous manner. But they had not\ntreated him with the same shameful cruelty with which he now treated\nthem.\n\nThey were taken barefooted deep into the tower and fastened in a dungeon,\nwith a great chain on their legs, while their servants in the town were\ntaken prisoners and locked up in one ward to the number of twenty, all\ntheir possessions being divided among their captors. This being done, the\nking clapped his hands, saying:\n\n\"The Holy Ghost bless my queen! Now I have all Sweden in my hand!\"\n\nWhen he set out soon afterwards on an errand of conquest, he left his\nbrothers in the charge of a Livonian knight, who had evidently been\nbidden to treat them harshly, for he removed them to the lowest dungeon\nand placed a beam upon their legs. They were fastened to the wall by\nthick iron round the throat and chains weighing one hundred and forty\npounds were riveted on their wrists, the other end being fastened to the\nbeam. When the chain was fastened upon Erik it was done with such\nviolence that a piece of iron broke out, cutting him on the eye so that\nblood ran down his cheek.\n\nTheir dungeon was at the bottom of the tower, where they lay on the bare\nrock, a pool of water lying between them. Their food was wretched, their\nclothing was wretched, and there was every indication that their wicked\nbrother did not wish to have them leave that prison alive.\n\nBut the cruel and treacherous king did not find it so easy to bring all\nSweden under his rule. The news of his wicked act got abroad and spread\nthrough the land, exciting general horror and detestation. When he rode\nup to Stockholm to take possession he found it closed against him and the\nburghers made a sally against him, putting his forces to flight. It was\nthe same way everywhere, the whole country rising against him. The wicked\nking now began to learn that the way of the transgressor is hard, and in\nhis fury of disappointment he locked the door of the dungeon in which his\nbrothers lay and threw the key into the stream, leaving them to die of\nstarvation.\n\nBut the poor victims were to be thoroughly avenged, for the people were\nimplacable in their wrath, and in a short time had so environed the king\nthat the fortresses of Nykoeping and Stegeborg were alone left to him, and\nboth of these were besieged.\n\nNykoeping was soon so severely pressed that the garrison brought up the\ndead bodies of the dukes and laid them under a dais outside the castle,\nsaying to the besiegers:\n\n\"Your siege will now answer no purpose, for the dukes are dead and King\nBirger is heir to all the kingdom.\"\n\n\"No one can hope to win an inheritance by murder,\" they replied. \"We now\nserve as our ruler, Lord Magnus, Duke Erik's son.\"\n\nThe bodies of the murdered dukes were carried to Stockholm, where they\nwere buried with much ceremony. But the siege of the castle was continued\nuntil the garrison was forced to surrender. On obtaining possession of it\nthe enraged people razed it to the ground.\n\nStegeborg, where Prince Magnus, King Birger's son, was in command, held\nout much longer. The king and queen, with Brunke, their confederate, were\nin Gothland, which province alone they held, and from which they sent a\nnumber of ships to Stegeborg with provisions and troops. These had no\nsooner appeared in the river Skares, however, than they were attacked and\ntaken, leaving Prince Magnus as bad off as ever. When this news was\nbrought to the king and queen they exclaimed in despair:\n\n\"Where shall we turn now, since God has sent us such a misfortune?\"\n\nBrunke, the cruel chancellor, volunteered to lead an expedition himself,\nsaying that he would no more spare the dukes' people than they had spared\nthe king's. Gathering some vessels, he had them strongly planked all\naround, and loading these with provisions and the remainder of the king's\nforces, he set out for Stegeborg.\n\nOn entering the Skares the people attacked him with stones and other\nmissiles, but he and his men protected themselves behind the planks.\nSeeing this, fire-rafts were sent off from the shore against the ships,\nand despite all that could be done to keep them off they drifted upon the\nvessels, setting three of them on fire, from which the flames spread to\nthe others.\n\nBrunke and his men leaped overboard, hoping to escape by swimming, but\nthey were all taken and Brunke and three of his chiefs sent to Stockholm,\nwhere they were soon afterwards beheaded. Stegeborg was now in a\ndesperate state and was soon forced to surrender, on the condition that\nthe life of Prince Magnus should be spared. This condition was not kept,\nnotwithstanding the fact that he was innocent of his father's crime. The\nindignant people were not willing to leave any scion of their wicked king\nalive and the poor boy's head was cut off.\n\nThus the unholy treachery of King Birger met with retribution. Sir Matts\nKettilmundson, the brave knight who had shown such courage in Russia, was\nmade Administrator of the kingdom and soon defeated a Danish army which\nhad been sent to King Birger's aid. Then Birger and his wicked queen were\nobliged to flee to Sweden, where grief soon brought him to his death-bed.\nQueen Martha lived long, but it was a life made bitter by memory of her\ncrimes and Heaven's retribution.\n\n[Illustration: From stereograph, copyright by Underwood and Underwood,\nN.Y. MORNING GREETINGS OF NEIGHBORS, SWEDEN.]\n\n\n\n\n_QUEEN MARGARET AND THE CALMAR UNION._\n\n\nWe have next to tell how the three kingdoms of Scandinavia, between which\nrivalry and hostility had often prevailed, became united into one great\nScandinavian realm, under the rule of a woman, the great Queen Margaret.\nThis was a very important event, as its results continued until our own\nday, the subjection of Norway, which was then achieved, not being broken\nuntil the early days of the present century. It is important to describe\nthe various steps by which this union was brought about.\n\nFrom 930, when Harold Fair-Haired, the maker of Norway, died, until 1319,\nwhen a king known by the odd title of Haakon Longlegs followed him to the\ngrave, the throne of Norway had been nearly always filled by some one of\nHarold's many descendants. But with the death of Haakon the male line of\nKing Harold's descendants was finally broken, and only a woman remained\nto represent that great royal stock, Princess Ingeborg, the daughter of\nKing Haakon. This fair maiden was promised in marriage while still a\nchild to Duke Erik, son of the late king of Sweden. They were married in\n1312, and on the same day Duke Valdemar, Erik's brother, married another\nprincess of Norway, also named Ingeborg. About four years later a son was\nborn to each of these happy couples, and King Haakon was full of joy,\nfor he now felt that the old royal line was restored.\n\nOne person was not pleased by the birth of these princes. This was King\nBirger of Sweden, who had long been at sword's point with his ambitious\nbrothers and wanted the throne of Norway as well as that of Sweden to\ndescend to his own son Magnus. He pretended to be pleased, however, for\nhe had in mind a treacherous plot to destroy his brothers and their\nchildren and thus leave the way clear for his ambitious schemes. The\nsteps he took to bring this about and their fatal end to his brothers and\nhis son we have told in the previous tale. After the indignant people had\ndriven King Birger from the throne the kingdoms of Sweden and Norway were\nleft in a strange plight. Magnus, the son of Duke Erik and Ingeborg, was\nonly three years old when his grandfather, the king of Norway, died. This\nleft him the successor to the Norse realm. But the deposition of King\nBirger and the execution of his son left this royal infant the king of\nSweden also, so that these two kingdoms became for the first time united,\nand this under the rule of a three-year-old child, with regents to govern\nin his name. But the two countries remained separate in everything except\nthat they had now but one king.\n\nWhen King Magnus became old enough to act as monarch in reality, he took\nthe government of both countries into his hands. But he proved unfit to\ngovern either of them, being a weak and good-natured man, so anxious to\nplease everybody that he pleased nobody. Born and brought up in Sweden,\nhe knew little and cared less about affairs in Norway and the people of\nthat country grew much incensed at his neglect of their interests. They\nmade him promise, at a public meeting, to divide the two kingdoms between\nhis two sons; Erik, the elder, to succeed him in Sweden, and Haakon, the\nyounger, to be given the crown of Norway when he came of age. Events\nhappened, as will be seen, to prevent this taking place and to combine\nall Scandinavia under one great queen.\n\nThis is how it came about. King Magnus made a visit to Denmark, where it\nwas arranged to marry Prince Haakon to Margaret, daughter and heir of the\nDanish king, Valdemar. This marriage took place in due time, and not very\nlong afterwards both King Magnus and Prince Haakon died and Prince Erik\nwas poisoned by his mother, who was a wicked woman and was angry because\nhe opposed her in one of her base schemes.\n\nThus as the death of King Birger had left the crowns of Sweden and Norway\nto a boy of three, the deaths here named left these crowns and that of\nDenmark also to another child, the son of Haakon and Margaret. This\nlittle fellow, Olaf by name, too young to appreciate how great he had\nbecome, did not live to enjoy his greatness. He died at the age of\nseventeen, leaving his royal rights to his mother Margaret.\n\nIt is interesting to learn that the turbulent kingdoms named, the land of\nthe sea-kings and the warlike barbarians of the north, each of which had\nneeded the hand of a strong man to control them, all now fell under the\nsceptre of a woman, who at first reigned over Denmark and Norway and soon\nadded Sweden to her dominion.\n\nBut Queen Margaret was no weakling. She was a woman born to command,\nstrong in mind and body, and more like a man than a woman. In Sweden, to\nwhich she quickly turned her attention, she had a bitter enemy in Duke\nAlbrecht of Mecklenburg, who had been declared king of that country after\nthe death of King Magnus, and who also claimed the crown of Norway, being\nremotely related to its royal house.\n\nHe bitterly hated Margaret, whom he called \"Queen Breechless,\" and by\nother satirical and insulting names. Finally he took the bold step to\ncall himself king of Denmark and Norway, a baseless claim which he\nproposed to enforce. He made a vow never to use a hat until he had driven\nout Margaret, and sent her a whetstone several yards long, advising her\nto use it to sharpen her scissors and needles instead of using a sceptre.\nHe was much too hasty, as he had only a weak hold upon Sweden even, whose\nnobles did not like his habit of bringing in Germans to fill the posts of\nhonor and were anxious to get rid of him.\n\nTherefore it came about that he found himself confronted by an army of\nDanes, Norsemen, and Swedes, and a battle followed in which Albrecht\nriding with his heavy cavalry upon a frozen marsh, broke through the ice\nand was taken prisoner. He was now in the power of Queen Margaret, who\nhad at length the opportunity to repay him for his insults. To replace\nthe crowns of Norway and Denmark, which he had sought to wear, she put\nupon his head a fool's cap, with a tail twenty-eight feet long, and\nrepaid him for his insults and jests in other ways. After she had done\nher best to make him an object of laughter and ridicule she locked him up\nin a strong prison cell, where he was given six years to reflect on his\nfolly.\n\nIt took these six years for Margaret's army to subdue the city of\nStockholm, which held out stoutly for Albrecht. She won it at last by\nsetting him free with the proviso that he should pay a ransom of sixty\nthousand marks. In ease he could not provide it within three years he was\nto return to prison or surrender Stockholm. He did the latter and\nMargaret became mistress of Sweden.\n\nThis able woman had now won a proud position, reached by none of the\nkings before her. She was ruler of the whole of Scandinavia, with its\nthree ancient kingdoms. The triple crown was hers for the lifting, but\nshe was not ambitious to wear it, and preferred to put it on the head of\nher grand-nephew, Erik of Pomerania, though she retained the power in her\nhands until her death in 1412. Representatives of the three kingdoms were\nsummoned by her to a meeting at Calmar, where, in July, 1397, a compact\nuniting the three kingdoms under one ruler was drawn up and signed.\n\nThis was the famous Calmar Union, which held Norway captive for more than\nfour hundred years. From that time until the present century Norway had\nno separate history, though her people vigorously resisted any measures\nof oppression. In 1536 this ancient kingdom was declared to be a province\nof Denmark, being treated like a conquered land; yet there was not a man\nto protest against the humiliation. The loss of national standing had\ncome on so gradually that the people, widely scattered over their\nmountain land and absorbed in their occupations, scarcely noticed it,\nthough they were quick enough to resent any encroachment upon their\npersonal liberty and rights. There were outbreaks, indeed, from time to\ntime, but these were soon put down and the Danish rule held good.\n\nThis was not the case with Sweden, a more thickly settled and civilized\nland. The struggle of the Swedes for freedom continued for some\nseventy-five years and was finally accomplished in 1523. How this was\ndone will be told in other tales. As for Norway, it was ceded by Denmark\nto Sweden in 1814, and the people of that mountain land regained their\nnational rights, with a free constitution, though ruled by the Swedish\nking. This union held good until 1905, when it was peacefully broken and\nNorway gained a king of its own again, after being kingless for more than\nfive hundred years.\n\n\n\n\n_HOW SIR TORD FOUGHT FOR CHARLES OF SWEDEN._\n\n\nIn the year 1450 and the succeeding period there was great disorder in\nthe Scandinavian kingdoms. The Calmar Union was no longer satisfactory to\nthe people of Sweden, who were bitterly opposed to being ruled by a\nDanish king. There were wars and intrigues and plots and plans, with\nplenty of murder and outrage, as there is sure to be in such troublous\ntimes. There was king after king, none of them pleasing to the people.\nKing Erik behaved so badly that neither Sweden nor Denmark would have\nanything to do with him, and he became a pirate, living by plunder. Then\nDuke Christopher of Bavaria was elected king of Scandinavia, but he also\nacted in a way that made every one glad when he died. In those days there\nwas a great nobleman in Sweden, named Karl Knutsson, who had a hand in\neverything that was going on. One thing especially made him very popular\nat that time, when a new king was to be elected. The spring had been very\ndry and there was danger of a complete failure of the crops, but on the\nday when Karl landed in Stockholm, May 23, 1450, there came plentiful\nrains and the people rejoiced, fancying that in some way he had brought\nabout the change of weather. So, when the lords assembled to elect a new\nking, Karl received sixty-two out of seventy votes, while the people\nshouted that they would have no other king. He was then crowned king as\nCharles VIII. There had been only one Charles before him, but somehow the\nmistake was made of calling him Charles VIII., and in later years came\nCharles IX., X., etc., the mistake never being rectified.\n\nAll this is in introduction to a tale we have to tell, that of a bold\nchampion of King Charles. For the new king had many troubles to contend\nwith. The king of Denmark in especial gave him much trouble, and the\nsouthern province of West Gothland was in danger of seceding from his\nrule. In this dilemma he chose his cousin, Sir Tord Bonde, a young but\ndaring and experienced warrior, as the captain of his forces in that\nprovince. He could not have made a better choice, and the stirring career\nof Sir Tord was so full of strange and exciting events that we must\ndevote this tale to his exploits.\n\nLoedoese, a stronghold of Gothland, was still held by the Danes, and Sir\nTord's first adventure had to do with this place. On a dark, rainy, and\nstormy night he led a party of shivering horsemen towards the town,\ngalloping onward at headlong speed over the muddy road and reaching the\nplace before day-dawn. Utterly unexpectant of such a coming, the Danes\nwere taken by surprise and all made prisoners, Sir Tord's men feeding\nluxuriously on the enemy's meat and wine as some recompense for their wet\nnight's journey.\n\nMaster of the place without a blow, Sir Tord found there a bag of\nletters, containing some that had to do with plots against the king.\nThese letters he sent to King Charles, but they put him upon a new\nadventure of his own. One of the traitors was Ture Bjelke, master of\nAxewalla Castle, and Sir Tord, fancying that the traitor would be as\nwelcome a present to the king as his letters, set out for the castle with\nthirty men.\n\nOn arriving there Ture, not dreaming that his treason had been\ndiscovered, admitted his visitor without hesitation. The troopers were\nalso permitted to enter, Sir Tord having told them to come in groups of\nfive or six only, so as not to excite suspicion by their numbers.\n\nThat night, while they sat at table, and just as the cabbage was being\ncarried in, Sir Tord sprang up and seized Ture firmly by the collar,\ncalling out that he arrested him as a traitor to the king. The knight's\nmen sprang up to defend him, but Sir Tord's men attacked them with sword\nand fist, the matter ending in the men as well as their master being\ntaken prisoners, and the castle falling into Sir Tord's hands.\n\nOn receiving the letters, Charles laid them before the senate at\nStockholm, but the traitors were men of such power and note, and there\nwas so much envy and jealousy of Charles among the lords, that he dared\nnot attempt to punish the plotters as they deserved, but was obliged to\npardon them. As for Ture and his men, they managed to escape from the\nplace where they had been left for safe keeping, and made their way to\nDenmark.\n\n[Illustration: From stereograph, copyright by Underwood and Underwood,\nN.Y. GRIPSHOLM CASTLE, MARI.]\n\nMeanwhile Sir Tord Bonde was kept busy, for King Christian of Denmark\nseveral times invaded the land. On each occasion he was met by the\nvaliant defender of West Gothland and driven out with loss. On his final\nretreat he built a fortress in Smaland, which he called Danaborg, or\nDanes' castle, leaving in it a Danish garrison; but it was quickly\nattacked by Sir Tord with his men-at-arms and a force of armed peasantry\nand the castle taken by storm, the Danes suffering so severe a defeat\nthat the place was afterwards known as Danasorg, or Danes' sorrow.\n\nSir Tord, to complete his chain of defences, had built several fortresses\nin Norway, then claimed by King Christian as part of his dominions. He\nhad with him in this work about four hundred men, so small a force that\nKolbjoern Gast, one of Christian's generals, proceeded against him with an\narmy three thousand strong, proposing to drive the daring invader out of\nthe kingdom.\n\nWeak as he felt himself, Sir Tord determined to try conclusions with the\nDanes and Norsemen, proposing to use strategy to atone for his weakness.\nOne hundred of his men were placed in ambush in a clump of woodland, and\nwith the remaining three hundred the Swedish leader marched boldly on the\nenemy, who were entrenched behind a line of wagons. Finding that he could\nnot break through their defences, Sir Tord and his men turned in a\npretended flight and were hotly pursued by the enemy, who abandoned their\nlines to follow the flying Swedes. Suddenly Sir Tord turned and led his\nmen in a fierce attack upon the disordered pursuers, falling upon them\nwith such bold fury that he had two horses killed under him. At the same\ntime the hundred men broke from their ambush, sounding their war-horns\nloudly, and fell on the flank of the foe, though they were so badly armed\nthat they had no iron points on their lances.\n\nConfused and frightened by the double attack and the blare of the\ntrumpets, the Norsemen broke and fled, crying out that \"all the might of\nSweden was in arms against them\"; but they were pursued so closely that\nthe leader and all his men were taken by the brave four hundred.\n\nThus the bold and skilful Sir Tord defended the king's cause in those\nquarters, winning victories by stratagem where force was lacking and\nkeeping off the attacks of the Danes by his watchfulness, bravery, and\nsound judgment; until men came to say, that his brave cousin was the\nking's chief support and that his secret enemies dared not undertake\nanything against him while he had so skilful and courageous a defender.\n\nThere are two ways of disposing of a troublesome foe, one by fair and\nopen warfare, one by treachery. As Sir Tord could not be got rid of in\nthe former manner, his enemies tried the latter. Joesse Bosson, one of his\nofficers, though born a Dane, had proved so faithful and won his\nconfidence to such an extent that the valiant Swede trusted him\ncompletely, and made him governor of the fortress of Karlborg. He did\nnot dream that he was nourishing a traitor and one capable of the basest\ndeeds.\n\nDuring the warfare in Norway Sir Tord reached Karlborg one afternoon,\nproposing to spend the night there. He was received with much show of joy\nby Joesse, who begged him to take the repose he needed, promising to keep\nstrict watch in the fortress during his stay there. Without a thought of\ndanger Sir Tord went to the chamber provided for him. Joesse said the same\nto the followers of his guest, and as they were weary they were glad to\ngo to their beds.\n\nHaving thus disposed of his visitors, Joesse got his boats ready, loaded\nthem with his most-prized effects, and then turned the key on the\nfollowers of his trusting guest, hid their swords, and even cut their\nbowstrings, so much was he afraid of the heroic soldier who had been his\nbest friend.\n\nThen, axe in hand, he entered the room of Sir Tord. The sleeper, awakened\nby his entrance, raised himself a little in the bed and asked what he\nwanted. For answer the murderous wretch brought down his axe with so\nheavy a blow that the head of Sir Tord was cleft in twain to the\nshoulders. Then, taking to his boats, the assassin made his escape to the\nDanes, by whom his bloody act was probably instigated.\n\nWith the death by treason and murder of the brave Sir Tord, the chief\nbulkwark of the realm of King Charles, this tale should end, but the\nlater career of Charles VIII. is so curious a one that it will be of\ninterest to make some brief mention of it.\n\nNever has king had a more diversified career. With the death of his brave\ndefender, enemies on all sides rose against him, his great wealth and\nproud ostentation having displeased nobles and people alike. Chief among\nhis enemies was the archbishop of Upsala, who nailed a letter to the door\nof the cathedral in which he renounced all loyalty and obedience to King\nCharles, took off his episcopal robes before the shrine of St. Erik, and\nvowed that he would not wear that dress again until law and right were\nbrought back to the land. It was a semi-civilized age and land in which\nchurchmen did not hesitate to appeal to the sword, and the archbishop\nclad himself in armor, and with helmet on head and sword by side, set out\non a crusade of his own against the man he deemed an unworthy and\noppressive king.\n\nHe found many to sustain him, and Charles, taken utterly by surprise,\nbarely escaped to Stockholm, wounded, on a miserable old horse, and with\na single servant. Besieged there and unable to defend the town, he hid\npart of his treasures, put the rest on board a vessel, and while going on\nboard himself was accosted by one of the archbishop's friends, who asked\nhim:\n\n\"Have you forgotten anything?\"\n\n\"Nothing except to hang you and your comrades,\" was the bitter reply of\nthe fugitive king.\n\nKing Christian of Denmark was called in by the archbishop to take the\nvacant throne, Charles was pronounced a traitor by his enemies, and for\nsome years Christian ruled over Sweden. Then his avarice and the heavy\ntaxes he laid on the people aroused such dissatisfaction that an\ninsurrection broke out, Christian's army was thoroughly defeated, and he\nwas forced to take ship for Denmark, while Charles was recalled to the\nthrone and landed in Stockholm in 1464, a second time king of Sweden.\n\nThis reign was not a long one. Christian, who had imprisoned the\narchbishop because he opposed the heavy taxation of the peasants, now\nsought his aid again and sent him with an army to Sweden. As a result\nCharles found himself once more shut up in Stockholm and was again forced\nby his enemies to resign the crown, being given instead of his kingdom\nthe government of Raseborg Castle in Finland. And instead of having\ntreasures to take with him, as before, he was now so poor that he could\nnot pay a debt of fifty marks he owed in Stockholm. He expressed his\nstate of poverty in the following verse:\n\n               \"While I was Lord of Fogelwich,\n               I was a mighty man and rich;\n               But since I'm King of Swedish ground\n               A poorer man was never found.\"\n\nBut his career was not yet ended. He was again to sit on the throne.\nFriends arose in his favor, the people again grew dissatisfied with\nDanish rule, and the archbishop, his greatest enemy, died. Charles was\nrecalled and returned from Finland, a third time standing on Swedish\nground as king.\n\nHe had still a hard fight before him. A Swedish nobleman, Erik Wase,\nsought to win the throne for himself, and Christian of Denmark sent a new\narmy to Sweden; but by the aid of a brave young knight, Sten Sture, Nils\nSture, his cousin, and some other valiant friends, all his enemies were\novercome and thus, after years of struggle and a remarkably diversified\ncareer, he was at length firmly seated on the throne.\n\nBut the unfortunate monarch was not long to enjoy the quiet which he had\nso hardly won. He fell seriously ill in May, 1470, and feeling that death\nwas near, he sent for Sten Sture and made him administrator of the\nkingdom, with control of the castle of Stockholm. But he earnestly warned\nhim never to seek for the royal power, saying:\n\n\"That ambition has ruined my happiness and cost me my life.\"\n\n\n\n\n_STEN STURE'S GREAT VICTORY OVER THE DANES._\n\n\nHistorical tales have much to do with war and bloodshed, with rides and\nraids, with schemes and stratagems, with plunder and piracy, and with\noutrage and oppression. These are the things to which historians give the\nmost space in their pages and which many readers find fullest of interest\nand excitement. In the present tale we have to do wholly with scenes of\nwar, for we propose to tell the story of one of the most remarkable\nbattles ever fought on Swedish soil.\n\nThis is what led to it. After the death of Charles VIII. and the\nappointment of Sten Sture as administrator of the kingdom, Christian I.\nof Denmark, whom the brave Sture had driven away with his army, fancied\nthat the way was open to him again, and that Sweden, without a king, was\na ripe plum ready to drop into his mouth. He was to find it a sour plum,\nfor in Sten Sture he had to deal with a man of notable ability, just and\nupright in his dealings, wise and prudent in government, and brave and\nskilful in war. He was a man who did not swear to keep his word, but who\nnever broke it. \"I promise by my three water-lilies\" (the arms of the\nStures) was his form of affirmation, but this simple promise was more to\nbe trusted than the solemn oaths of many kings and potentates. The\npeople loved and trusted him, and on the 1st of May, 1471, the late\nking's appointment was confirmed at a general diet of the people, which\naccepted him by acclamation as the administrator and captain-general of\nthe realm.\n\nHe soon had work cut out for him. Christian of Denmark equipped a great\nfleet and sailed to Stockholm, where he anchored in the harbor and opened\nnegotiations with the Swedish senate, then the great source of power in\nthe land. He promised to govern the kingdom in the way they might decide\nupon and be to them a mild and merciful father. While some of them were\nseduced by his specious promises, the majority had no fancy to make him\ntheir \"father.\" But they made a truce with him until the matter could be\ndecided, the Danes being allowed to buy provisions in the town, and on\ntheir side selling salt to the citizens, this being at that time very\nscarce in Stockholm.\n\nThus matters went on for seven weeks, at the end of which time Christian\nconcluded that the Swedes were playing with him, seeking to spin out the\ntime until all his provisions would be consumed and winter with its\nstorms would be at hand to destroy his fleet. As it began to appear that\nnothing was to be gained by peace, he resolved to try the effect of war,\nand on the 1st of September landed his army and laid his plans to besiege\nthe city.\n\nHis camp was pitched on the hill of Brunkenberg, near the city,\nconnection being made with the fleet by a strong bridge built from the\nshore to an island in the harbor. Bulwarks and ramparts of earth were\nthrown up on the side next the town, and were mounted with cannon, with\nwhich he soon opened a bombardment. He enticed some of the Swedish\npeasants into his camp by promise of an abundance of salt, but his main\narmy consisted of the Danish nobles and their troops and of German and\nScottish soldiers of fortune, brave, stout, able warriors who exercised\nthemselves daily in military sports and led a merry and careless life in\ncamp, heedless of everything except pay and plunder.\n\nWhen the proud Danish king was told that Sture was collecting an army of\npeasants with which to fight him, he sneeringly said:\n\n\"Herr Sten sneaks along ditches and dikes, but I shall punish my little\ngentleman with the rod like a child, and teach him to keep himself\nquiet.\"\n\nThreats were also made by the foreign mercenaries against the citizens,\nbut these only served to rouse their anger and make them more resolute in\nthe defence of the city.\n\nAs for Herr Sten, he went on raising troops and driving out the Danes\nwhom he found infesting the seaboard lands, not marching towards the city\nuntil he had got rid of all hostility in his rear. On his march he was\nmet by his brave cousin, Nils Sture, with an army of the bold Dalmen of\nthe north, and the united armies marched on to Jerfva, in the vicinity of\nthe beleaguered city.\n\nFrom this point Sture wrote to King Christian, offering him safe passage\nhome, if he would leave Sweden without the need of blows; but he only\nroused the wrath of the king, who loudly swore:\n\n\"By God's five wounds, I have not gone to so much trouble and expense to\ngo home without finishing what I came for.\"\n\nAll that could be done in the cause of peace had been done without avail,\nand events had reached a point in which the affair could be settled only\nat sword's point and cannon's mouth.\n\nIt was the 10th of October, 1470. Long before the sun rose on that\nmemorable day the Swedes of Sture's army were awake and busy preparing\ntheir arms for the coming fray, in which the mastery of their kingdom was\nto be decided. At an early hour the whole army was called to the solemn\nservice of the mass, after which holy and impressive ceremony they\nrefreshed themselves with a hasty meal and returned to their ranks ready\nfor battle.\n\nNils Sture was already on the march with a third of the army, secretly\nleading them around a clump of woodland with the purpose of attacking the\nDanish camp at Brunkenberg from the east. As the ranks of the main army\nformed for the attack, their brave leader was gratified to see a body of\ngallant horsemen, in shining armor, riding to join him. They were\nthirteen hundred in number, and had been sent from the town of Kungsholm.\n\nAdvancing before his people, Sture spoke to them with few but telling\nwords:\n\n\"If you ever desire to enjoy peace and security in Sweden stand by me\nthis day and cling one to another. I shall do my part. I fear not the\nking nor his Danes and mercenaries, but gladly venture life and blood and\nall that I possess on the event of this battle. If you will do the same,\nlift up your hands.\"\n\n[Illustration: SKURUSUND, STOCKHOLM.]\n\n\"That will we do with God's help,\" came the roar of response, followed by\na great shout and wild clanging of arms. Immediately the advance began,\nthe men singing the verse of a psalm written for the occasion. It was now\nthe hour of eleven.\n\nKing Christian and his army boldly awaited the assault, looking down from\ntheir commanding position on the Swedes, who came on heedless of the roar\nof guns and flight of arrows. Reaching the foot of the hill, they began\nits ascent, met as they did so by the Danes, who rushed down upon them\nwith lance and sword. In a moment more the hostile lines met and the\nbloody work of war began.\n\nOn the summit of the hill proudly waved the Danneborg, the sacred\nstandard of Denmark. In the midst of the Swedes fluttered their country's\nflag, borne resolutely up the hill. Around these banners gathered the\nbravest of the champions, fighting with heroic fury--the Danes, under\ntheir ambitious king, fighting for glory and riches; the Swedes, under\ntheir patriot leader, striking for peace and freedom from foreign rule.\n\nWhile the battle was thus raging outside the town, Knut Posse, its\ngovernor, a skilful soldier, was not idle. He was not content to rest\nwithin the walls while his countrymen were fighting so vigorously for\nhis relief. The heat of the fight had left the bridge leading from the\nshore to the ships without a guard, and he sent some men in boats to row\ntowards it and with saws and axes to sever the supports beneath it. This\nwas successfully done and the men returned unseen.\n\nWhile this was being accomplished the warlike governor, seeing that the\nSwedes had been checked in their ascent of the hill, made a sally from\nthe town with two thousand of the garrison, taking possession of the\nDanish fortifications in that quarter and setting them on fire. His\nposition, however, could not long be held, for Sten Sture's troops had\nbeen driven down the hill and Christian was free to lead a heavy column\nagainst him, forcing him back with his handful of men. In the struggle,\nhowever, the bold governor advanced so vigorously upon the king, that he\nreceived a wound from Christian's own hand.\n\nWhile Knut Posse was thus being driven back into the town Sten Sture was\nseeking to infuse new spirit into his defeated people, telling them that\n\"it would be to their eternal shame if they suffered themselves thus to\nbe repulsed.\"\n\nMarshalling them into orderly ranks as quickly as possible he led them\nagain towards the hill, and the battle recommenced with its old fire and\nvigor. Sture rode valiantly at their head, encouraging them with a\ndisplay of heroic valor. While he fought on horseback, by his side ran a\npeasant named Bjoern the Strong, who kept pace with the horse and at\ntimes ran before it, swinging his broad battle-axe with such strength\nthat he opened a road for his leader to ride through. Though surrounded\nby enemies, the two held their own with the fiery energy of the\nberserkers of an earlier day, dispensing death while not receiving a\nwound.\n\nKing Christian, on the other hand, showed himself not wanting in valor,\nkeeping well in the front rank of his men. In the midst of the fight a\nball struck him in the mouth, knocking out three of his teeth and so\ndisabling him that he was carried fainting from the field. In the end the\nSwedes, who had borne their banner to the summit of the hill, where they\nlooked in vain for the expected aid from Nils Sture and his men, were\ndriven back again and a second time forced down the hill, the victorious\nDanes driving them well into the plain at its foot.\n\nThree hours of hard fighting had now passed and both armies were wearied.\nTrotte Karlsson, a Swedish renegade who had been fighting against his\ncountry in the ranks of its foes, seated himself on a stone to rest,\ntaking off his helmet that he might breathe the fresh air. As he did so a\nball from the Swedish ranks struck him between the eyes and he fell\ndead--a traitor fighting with strangers against his native land.\n\nThough twice beaten Sten Sture had no thought of giving up the fight. For\nsome reason Nils Sture, who with the large force under his command had\nbeen depended upon to make a diversion in their favor, had not appeared.\nBad roads had detained him and he was still struggling onward towards\nhis assigned position.\n\nLooking around him, and satisfied that it was hopeless to dislodge the\nenemy from their post of vantage, Sten now attempted a diversion by\nsending a force to attack the troops stationed at the convent of St.\nClaire. The Danes on the hill, seeing the danger of this detachment, and\nthinking that they had thoroughly beaten off the Swedes, rushed down to\nthe aid of those at the convent, and Sten, with the skill of an able\ncommander, took advantage of this movement and at once marshalled his men\nfor a third attack.\n\nThey did not need much encouragement. Though twice beaten they were not\ndispirited, but rushed forward shouting: \"Now the Danes come to us on\nequal ground! Let us at them and swing our swords freely!\"\n\nSome bright streaks appearing on the sky, the cry ran through the ranks:\n\n\"St. Erik is waving his sword over his people to aid them and point the\nway to victory.\"\n\nOn the enemy they rushed, with a valor not weakened by their previous\nrepulses, and Knut Posse, who had been watching the fight with keen eyes,\nmade a fresh sally from the town. Soon the battle was on again with all\nits former fury, the Danes fighting at first for victory, then, as they\nwere forced to give way, striking resolutely to defend their standard,\nthe Danneborg. Knut Posse made a fierce onset upon the proud banner, but\nwas not able to reach it until five hundred noble Danes, who gathered\naround it as a guard of honor, had fallen under the swords of the Swedes.\n\nWhen the Danes saw their great standard fall they gave way, but only with\nthe intention to regain the height and defend themselves on its summit.\nIt was at this critical juncture that Nils Sture appeared with his\nlong-delayed troops and attacked the enemy from a fresh side. Before this\nunlooked-for and powerful force the Danes gave way in a panic, their\nranks being broken and the fugitives rushing in wild flight down the hill\nto take refuge in their ships.\n\nNow the stratagem of Knut Posse became effective, the weakened bridge\nswaying and sinking under the multitude of fugitives who crowded it,\nplunging them by hundreds into the water. Others leaped into boats to row\nto the vessels, but these were so crowded that many of them sank, their\noccupants being drowned. In all, nine hundred men were drowned in the\nflight, while as many more who were not able to escape threw down their\narms and surrendered. Christian succeeded in escaping with that portion\nof his army which had reached the ships, while Sten Sture marched in\ntriumph into Stockholm with his victorious troops, there to be received\nwith shouts of gladness, and with tears of joy by his wife Fra Ingeborg,\nwho had been in the city and with the noble ladies of the place had\nprayed earnestly for victory while their friends and husbands fought.\n\nFor four hours the battle had lasted. It was one of vast importance for\nSweden, since it brought to that country many years of peace and repose.\nKing Christian dared not attack the Swedes again and the country got on\nprosperously without a king under the able government of Sten Sture.\n\n\n\n\n_HOW THE DITMARSHERS KEPT THEIR FREEDOM._\n\n\nThe name of Ditmarshers was given to the inhabitants of a broad, marshy\nregion adjoining the district of Holstein on the Baltic shores of\nGermany. They were not pure Germans, however, but descendants of the\nancient Frisian tribes who had long occupied the northwest parts of\nGermany and Holland and were known as far back as the times of the Romans\nfor their courage and love of liberty.\n\nFor age after age this people had shown the same bold spirit and made\nmany a gallant stand against the princes who sought to subdue them. Geert\nthe Great and other princes of Sleswick and Holstein had suffered defeat\nat their hands, and the warlike Valdemar III. of Denmark had been sadly\nbeaten by them. At a much later date the Emperor Frederick had formally\ngiven the lands of the Ditmarshers to Christian I. of Denmark, to be\njoined to Holstein, but the marshmen declared that they were not subjects\nof Denmark and would not be given and taken at its king's will.\n\nIt was in the year 1500 that the most striking event in the history of\nthe Ditmarshers took place. King Hans, the son of Christian I., then\nruled over Denmark and Norway and five years before had been crowned king\nof Sweden. It was due to his dealings with the bold sons of the marshes\nthat he lost the latter throne. This is the story of this interesting\nevent.\n\nWhen Hans was made king of Denmark his ambitious brother Frederick, who\nhad sought to obtain the throne, was made duke of Sleswick-Holstein, and\ncalled upon the Ditmarshers to pay him taxes and render homage to him for\ntheir lands. This they declined to do, not recognizing the right of the\nEmperor Frederick to hand them over to Denmark and to decide that the\ncountry which had belonged to their fathers for so many centuries was\npart of Holstein.\n\nFinding that he had tough metal to deal with in the brave marshmen,\nFrederick induced his brother Hans to invade their country and seek to\nbring them to terms. King Valdemar had done the same thing three\ncenturies before, with the result of losing four thousand men and getting\nan arrow wound in his eye, but undeterred by this, if they knew anything\nabout it, the nobles and knights, who were very numerous in the army led\nby Frederick and Hans, went to the war as lightly as if it were an\nexcursion of pleasure.\n\nDisdaining to wear their ordinary armor in dealing with peasant foes,\nthey sought to show their contempt for such an enemy by going in their\nordinary hunting costume and carrying only light arms. It was a piece of\nfolly, as they were to learn. The marshmen fought like their fathers of\nold for their much-valued liberty, and the knights found they had no\ncravens to deal with.\n\nIt is true that the royal troops took and sacked Meldorf, the chief town\nof the Ditmarshers, cruelly killing its inhabitants, but it was their\nonly victory. It proved a lighter thing to get to Meldorf than to get\naway from it, and of the Danes and Germans who had taken part in the\nassault few escaped with their lives.\n\nIt was the depth of winter, cold, bitter weather, and as the army was on\nits march from Meldorf to Hejde the advance guard suddenly found itself\nin face of a line of earthworks which the marshmen had thrown up in front\nof a dike. This was defended by five hundred Ditmarshers under their\nleader, Wolf Isebrand.\n\nThe German guards rushed to the attack, shouting:\n\n\"Back, churls, the guards are coming!\"\n\nThree times they forced the marshmen to retreat, but as often these bold\nfellows rallied and came back to their works. In the midst of the\nstruggle the wind changed, bringing a thaw with it, and as the troops\nstruggled on, blinded with the sleet and snow that now fell heavily, and\nbenumbed with the cold, the men of the marshes opened the sluices in the\ndike. Through the openings poured the waters of the rising tide, quickly\nflooding the marshes and sweeping everything before them.\n\nThe soldiers soon found themselves wading in mud and water, and at this\ncritical juncture the Ditmarshers, accustomed to make their way through\ntheir watery habitat by the aid of poles and stilts, fell upon the\ndismayed invaders, cutting them down in their helpless dilemma or\npiercing them through with their long lances.\n\nThe victory of the peasants was utter and complete. Six thousand of the\ninvaders, nobles and men-at-arms alike, perished on that fatal day, and\nthe victors fell heir to an immense booty, including seven banners. Among\nthese was the great Danish standard, the famous Danneborg, which was\ncarried in triumph to Oldenwoerden and hung up in the church as the\nproudest trophy of the victory.\n\nAs for King Hans and his brother Duke Frederick, they barely escaped\nfalling into the hands of the marshmen, while the estimate of the losses\nin money, stores, and ammunition in that dread afternoon's work was\n200,000 florins.\n\nKing Hans lost more than money by it, for he lost the kingship of Sweden.\nThe nobles of that country, when the news of the disastrous defeat\nreached them, rose in revolt, under the leadership of Sten Sture, drove\nthe Danes out of Stockholm, and kept his queen, Christina of Saxony,\nprisoner for three years. Hans had no more armies to send to Sweden and\nhe was obliged to renounce its crown.\n\nNorway also rose against him under a brave leader, and his power over\nthat country was threatened also. It was finally saved for him by his son\nPrince Christian, who used his power so cruelly after order was restored\nthat he nearly routed out all the old Norwegian nobles.\n\nThus, from his attempt to make the Ditmarshers pay taxes against their\nwill, King Hans lost one kingdom and came near losing another. The only\nsuccessful war of his reign was one against the traders of Luebeck, who\nhad treated him with great insolence. In a war which followed, the fleet\nof the Luebeckers was so thoroughly beaten that the proud merchant princes\nwere glad to pay 30,000 gulden to obtain peace. Then, having this one\nsuccess to offset his defeat by the Ditmarshers, King Hans died.\n\n\n\n\n_THE BLOOD-BATH OF STOCKHOLM._\n\n\nThe most cruel tyrant the northern lands ever knew was Christian II. of\nDenmark, grandson of Christian I., whose utter defeat at Stockholm has\nbeen told. For twenty-seven years Sweden remained without a king, under\nthe wise rule of Sten Sture. Then Hans of Denmark, son of Christian I.,\nwas chosen as king, in the belief that he would keep his promises of good\ngovernment. As he failed to keep them he was driven out after a four\nyears' rule, as we have told in the last tale, and Sten Sture became\npractically king again.\n\nHow Christian, who succeeded Hans as king of Denmark, and had shown\nhimself a master of ferocity and bloodthirsty cruelty in Norway and\nDenmark, overcame the Swedes and made himself king of Sweden, is a story\nof the type of others which we have told of that unhappy land. It must\nsuffice to say here that by force, fraud, and treachery he succeeded in\nthis ambitious effort and was crowned king of Sweden on the 4th of\nNovember, 1520.\n\nHe had reached the throne by dint of promises, confirmed by the most\nsacred oaths, not one of which he had any intention of keeping, and the\nSwedes might as well have set a wolf on their throne as given it to this\nhuman tiger. One thing he knew, which was that the mischief and disquiet\nin Sweden were due to the ambition of the great lords, and he mentally\nproposed to ensure for himself a quiet reign by murdering all those whom\nhe feared.\n\n[Illustration: SKANSEN RIVER.]\n\nUnder what pretence of legality it could be done, and leave to him the\nappearance of innocence in the matter, was a difficult question. To\nattempt the bloody work with no ostensible motive might lose for him the\ncrown which he had striven so hard to win, and in the dilemma he\nconsulted with his confidential advisers as to what should be done.\n\nSome of them proposed that a quarrel and uproar between the Danes and\nSwedes in the town should be fomented, which the lords might be accused\nof bringing about. But there was danger that such a pretended quarrel\nmight become a real one, and endanger his throne. Others advised that\ngun-powder should be laid under the castle and the lords be accused of\nseeking to blow up the king. But this was dismissed as too clumsy a\ndevice.\n\nFinally it was proposed to proceed against the lords as heretics, they\nhaving some years previously been excommunicated by the Pope for\nheretical practices. The king, indeed, had solemnly sworn to forget and\nforgive the past, but his cunning advisers told him that while he might\nspeak for himself, he had no warrant to speak for the Church, the laws\nand rights of which had been violated. This pretext was seized upon by\nChristian with joy and he proceeded to make use of it in a way that every\nchurchman in the land would have condemned with horror.\n\nOn the 7th of November, the day after the coronation festivities ended,\nthe king proceeded to put his treacherous plot into effect. A number of\nnoble Swedes who had attended the festivities were brought to the castle\nunder various pretences, and were there ushered into a large and spacious\nhall. With alarm they saw that the doors were closed behind them so that\nnone could leave, though others might enter.\n\nWhen all were gathered Christian entered and took his seat on the throne,\nwith his council and chief lords about him. Archbishop Trolle was also\npresent as representative of the Church, but without knowledge or\nsuspicion of the secret purpose of the king, who had brought him there to\nsanction by his presence the intended massacre.\n\nThe charge which it was proposed to bring against the senators and lords\nwas that of trespass against the archiepiscopal dignity and to demand\nretribution for the same, and this charge was accordingly brought in the\nname of the Church. The king then turned to the archbishop and asked:\n\n\"My Lord Archbishop, do you intend to have this matter brought to peace\nand friendship according to the counsel of good men or will you have it\njudged by the law?\"\n\nArchbishop Trolle answered, \"The offence being one against the Church,\nthe cause of the accused should be judged by the Pope.\"\n\nThis was a mode of settling the matter which by no means conformed with\nthe king's intention, and he answered:\n\n\"This is a matter not to be referred to the Pope, but to be terminated at\nhome in the kingdom, without troubling his Holiness.\"\n\nIn this decision he was not to be shaken, knowing well that if the\narchbishop's proposal to refer the matter to the Pope were carried out\nhis secret sanguinary purpose would be defeated. What he proposed was the\nmurder of the lords, and he had no intention of letting the matter escape\nfrom his control.\n\nLord Sten Sture, against whom the accusation had been chiefly directed,\nwas dead, but his widow, the Lady Christina, was present, and was asked\nwhat defence she had to offer for herself and her husband. She replied\nthat the offences against the archbishop were not due to Lord Sten alone,\nbut were done with the approbation of the senate and the kingdom and she\nproduced a parchment in proof of her words, signed by many of the persons\npresent. Christian eagerly seized upon the incriminating document, as\ngiving him a warrant for his proceedings and evidence against those whom\nhe most hated and feared.\n\nAll whose names were attached to it were brought up, one after another,\nthere being among them several bishops, who had taken part in the matter\non patriotic and political grounds, and a number of senators. Every one\ntried to excuse himself, but of the whole number Bishop Otto was the only\none whose excuse was accepted. At the end of the examination all those\naccused were seized and taken from the hall, the whole number, senators,\nprelates, noblemen, priests and burghers, being locked up together in a\ntower, the two bishops among them being alone given a better prison. The\ntrue reason for proceeding against the churchmen was that they had been\nthe friends of Sten Sture and might prefer their country to the king. The\nwicked tyrant, who in this illegal manner had sought to make the Church\nresponsible for his bloodthirsty schemes, hesitated not to condemn clergy\nand laity alike, and ended the session by the arbitrary decision that all\nthe accused were heretics and as such should die.\n\nIrreligious, illegal, and ruthless as had been this whole proceeding,\ninto which the artful king had dragged the archbishop and sought to make\nhim a consenting party to his plot, Christian had gained his purpose of\nproviding a pretext for ridding himself of his political enemies, actual\nor possible, and proceeded to put it into execution in the arbitrary\nmanner in which it had been so far conducted, regardless of protests from\nany quarter.\n\nThe next day the city gates were closed, so that no one could enter or\nleave. Trumpeters rode round the streets in the early morning,\nproclaiming that no citizen, on peril of life, must leave his house,\nunless granted permission to do so. On the chief squares Danish soldiers\nwere marshalled in large numbers, and on the Great Square a battery of\nloaded cannon was placed, commanding the principal streets. A dread sense\nof terrible events to come pervaded the whole city.\n\nAt noon the castle gates were thrown open and a great body of armed\nsoldiers marched out, placing themselves in two long lines which reached\nfrom the castle to the town hall. Between these lines the accused lords\nwere led, until the Great Square was reached, where they were halted and\nsurrounded by a strong force of Danish soldiers. Around these gathered a\ngreat body of the people, now permitted to leave their houses. Alarm and\nanguish filled their faces as they saw the preparations for a frightful\nevent.\n\nOn the balcony of the town hall now appeared Sir Nils Lycke, a knight\nnewly created by the king, who thus addressed the agitated multitude:\n\n\"You good people are not to wonder at what you now behold, for all these\nmen have proved themselves to be base heretics, who have sought to\ndestroy the holy Church; and moreover traitors to his Majesty the King,\nsince they had laid powder under the castle to kill him.\"\n\nAt this point he was interrupted by Bishop Vincent from the square below,\nwho called out indignantly to the people:\n\n\"Do not believe this man, for all he tells you is falsehood and nonsense.\nIt is as Swedish patriots that we are brought here, and God will yet\npunish Christian's cruelty and treachery.\"\n\nTwo of the condemned lords also called out to the people, beseeching them\n\"never in future to let themselves be deceived by false promises, but one\nday to avenge this day's terrible treachery and tyranny.\"\n\nFearing an outbreak by the indignant people, if this appeal should\ncontinue, the soldiers now made a great noise, under order of their\nofficers, and the king, who is said to have gloatingly witnessed the\nwhole proceedings from a window in the town hall, ordered the execution\nto proceed, Klas Bille, an official, placing himself to receive the\ngolden chain and ring of each knight before he was beheaded.\n\nThe prisoners implored that they might confess and receive the Holy\nSacrament before they were slain, but even this was refused, and Bishop\nMatthew was led forth first. While he was kneeling, with clasped and\nuplifted hands, two horrified men, one of them his secretary, rushed\nimpulsively towards him, but before they could reach the spot the fatal\nsword had descended and the good bishop's head rolled to their feet on\nthe ground.\n\nThey cried out in horror that this was a frightful and inhuman act, and\nwere at once seized and dragged within the circle, where they would have\nsuffered the fate of the victimized bishop had they not been rescued by\nsome German soldiers, who believed them to be Germans.\n\nBishop Vincent next fell beneath the encrimsoned sword, and after him the\nsenators, seven in number, and thirteen nobles and knights of the senate.\nThese were followed by the three burgomasters of Stockholm and thirteen\nmembers of the town council, with fifteen of the leading citizens, some\nof them having been dragged from their houses, without the least warning,\nand led to execution. One citizen, Lars Hausson by name, burst into\ntears as he beheld this terrible scene, and at once was seized by the\nsoldiers, dragged within the fearful circle, and made to pay by death for\nhis compassion.\n\nWith this final murder the executions for that day ended, the heads being\nset on poles and the dead bodies left lying where they had fallen. A\nviolent rain that came on bore a bloody witness of the sanguinary scene\ninto the streets, in the stream of red-dyed water which ran down on every\nside from the Great Square.\n\nOn the next day Christian said that many had hid themselves who deserved\ndeath, but that they might now freely show themselves for he did not\nintend to punish any more. Deceived by this trick some of the hidden\nleaders made their appearance and were immediately seized and haled to\nthe square, where the work of execution was resumed. Six or eight of\nthese were beheaded, many were hung, and the servants of the slaughtered\nlords, who happened to come to the town in ignorance of the frightful\nwork, were dragged from their horses and, booted and spurred as they had\ncome, were haled to the gallows.\n\nThe king's soldiers and followers, excited by the slaughter and given\nfull license, now broke into many houses of the suspected, murdering the\nmen, maltreating the women, and carrying away all the treasure they could\nfind, and for some hours Stockholm seemed to be in the hands of an army\nthat had taken the city by storm.\n\nFor a day and night the corpses lay festering in the street, their bodies\ntorn by vagrant dogs, and not until a pestilent exhalation began to rise\nfrom them were they gathered up and hauled by cartloads to a place in the\nsouthern suburbs, where a great funeral pyre was erected and the bodies\nwere burned to ashes.\n\nAs for the tyrant himself, his bloody work seemed to excite him to a sort\nof madness of fury. He ordered the body of Sten Sture the Younger to be\ndug from its grave in Riddarholm Church, and it is said that in his fury\nhe bit at the half-consumed remains. The body of Sten's young son was\nalso disinterred, and the two were carried to the great funeral pile to\nbe burnt with the others. The quarter of the town where this took place\nis still named Sture, in memory of the dead, and on the spot where the\ngreat pyre was kindled stands St. Christopher's Church.\n\nSuch was the famous, or rather the infamous, \"blood-bath of Stockholm,\"\nwhich still remains as a frightful memory to the land. It did not end\nhere. The dreadful work he had done seemed to fill the monster with an\ninsatiable lust for blood. His next act was to call Christina, the widow\nof Sten Sture, to his presence. When, overwhelmed with grief and despair,\nshe appeared, he sneeringly asked her whether she would choose to be\nburned, drowned, or buried alive. The noble lady fell fainting at his\nfeet. Her beauty and suffering and the entreaties of those present at\nlength softened the tyrant, but her mother was enclosed in a bag and\nthrown into the stream, though she was permitted to be drawn out by the\npeople on their promise to the tyrant that he should have her great\nwealth. But she, with her daughter Christina and many other women of\nnoble descent, were carried as hostages to Copenhagen and shut up in a\ndreadful prison called the Blue Tower, where numbers of them died of\nhunger, thirst and cold.\n\nThe massacre was not confined to Stockholm; from there the executions\nspread throughout the country, and the old law of 1153 was revived that\nno peasant should bear arms, Danish soldiers being sent through the\ncountry to rob the people of their weapons. The story is told that some\nof them, enraged by this act of tyranny, said:\n\n\"Swords shall not be wanting to punish the tyrant so long as we retain\nour feet to pursue and our hands to revenge.\"\n\nTo this the reply was that \"a hand and a foot might well be cut from the\nSwedish peasant; for one hand and a wooden leg would be enough for him to\nguide his plough.\"\n\nThis report, improbable as it was, spread widely and caused a general\npanic, for so terrified were the people by the reports of Christian's\ncruelty that nothing seemed too monstrous for him to undertake.\n\nIn December the tyrant prepared to return to Denmark, leaving Sweden\nunder chosen governors, with an army of Danes. But his outgoing from the\ncountry was marked by the same sanguinary scenes. He caused even his own\nfavorite, Klas Hoist, to be hung, and two friends of Sten Sture being\nbetrayed to him, he had them quartered and exposed upon the wheel. Sir\nLindorm Ribbing was seized and beheaded, together with his servants. And,\nmost pitiable of all, Sir Lindorm's two little boys, six and eight years\nof age, were ordered by the tyrant to be slain, lest they should grow up\nto avenge their murdered father.\n\nThe scene, as related, is pathetic to the highest degree. The older boy\nwas beheaded, and when the younger saw the streaming blood and the red\nstains on his brother's clothes, he said with childish innocence to the\nexecutioner: \"Dear man, don't stain my shirt like my brother's, for then\nmamma will whip me.\"\n\nAt these words the executioner, his heart softened, threw down the sword,\ncrying:\n\n\"I would rather blood my own shirt than yours.\"\n\nBut the pathos of the scene had no effect on the heart of the tyrant, who\nwitnessed it unsoftened, and called for a more savage follower to\ncomplete the work, ending it by striking off the head of the\ncompassionate executioner. With this and other deeds of blood Christian\nleft the land where he had sown deeply the seeds of hate, and the\nterrible \"blood-bath\" ended.\n\n\n\n\n_THE ADVENTURES OF GUSTAVUS VASA._\n\n\nIn the parish of Orkesta, in Upland, Sweden, there may be seen the\nremains of an old tower, now a mere heap of stones, but once the centre\nof the proud manor-seat of Lindholm. It was a noble and lordly castle,\nbuilt of red bricks and grey granite, seated on a high hill between two\nlakes, and commanding a wide prospect over mountain, wood, and water.\nHere, in the year 1490, was born Gustavus Vasa, the son of Sir Erik and\nLady Cecilia Vasa, and destined to win future fame as one of the greatest\nheroes of Sweden and the liberator of his native land.\n\nAt the age of six the boy was sent to be educated at the court of Sten\nSture, then the administrator and virtual king of Sweden. Here he was not\nspoiled by indulgence, his mode of life and his food were alike simple\nand homely, and he grew up with a cheerful spirit and a strong body, his\nchief pleasure being that of hunting among the rocks and forests with his\ncompanions, all of whom grew to love and admire him.\n\nKing Hans, when monarch of Sweden in 1499, on a visit to Sten Sture\nnoticed the boy playing about the hall and was much pleased by his fine\nand glowing countenance. Patting him on the head, he said:\n\n\"You will certainly be a man in your day, if you live to see it.\"\n\nHe afterwards, thinking of the high descent of the boy and that he might\ngrow to be a future foe of Denmark, asked Sten Sture to let him take the\nlad to Copenhagen and bring him up in his court. The wise Lord Sten\nquickly fathomed the king's thoughts and answered that the boy was too\nyoung to be taken from his parents. He soon after sent him to his father,\nthen in command at Aland.\n\n\"The young wolf has slipped out of my net,\" said King Hans in later\nyears, when he was told of the splendid development of the boy as he grew\nto manhood.\n\nAt the age of twenty-four he left the academy at Upsala, where he had\nbeen educated in the arts and sciences, and repaired to the court of Sten\nSture the Younger, where he was soon a general favorite, loved for his\namiable character and admired for his wit and vivacity. At that time the\nwar by which Christian II. made himself master of Denmark was going on\nand young Vasa aided by his courage in winning victory on more than one\nhard-fought field.\n\nIn 1518, during a negotiation between Sten Sture and Christian, then in\nsore straits in his fleet, the latter agreed to go ashore to confer with\nthe Swedish leader if six gentlemen were sent on board his fleet as\nhostages. This was done, but before the conference took place a favorable\nchange of wind changed the treacherous king's intention and he sailed off\nfor Denmark with his hostages, all of whom were imprisoned and held to\nsecure the neutrality of their relatives in Sweden.\n\nAmong these captives was young Gustavus Vasa, who, thus perfidiously\ntaken, was cruelly confined. Finally, at the request of Herr Erik Baner,\na distant relative of the Vasas, the young man was set free, Baner\nbinding himself to pay a heavy penalty in money if he permitted him to\nescape. Thus it was that Vasa found a new home at Kalloe Castle, in\nJutland, where his deliverer lived, and where he was well treated and\ngiven much freedom.\n\n\"I shall not cause you to be strictly guarded nor put you in\nconfinement,\" said good old Baner. \"You shall eat at my table and go\nwhere you please, if you faithfully promise not to make your escape or\njourney anywhere without letting me know.\"\n\nTo this the young man bound himself verbally and by writing, and was\ngiven liberty by his generous warder to go where he pleased within six\nmiles of Kalloe. At first he was always accompanied by an attendant, but\nas he won the old man's love and confidence he was suffered to go alone.\n\nBut he could not forget the perfidy by which he had been made prisoner,\nand in 1519, when King Christian was preparing a great expedition against\nSweden, the boasts of the young Danish nobles of what they proposed to do\nchafed his proud soul. Day and night his bitterness of spirit grew, and\nfinally, as the time came for the expedition to set sail, he could bear\nit no longer but resolved to break his parole and escape to his native\nland.\n\nIt was in the summer of 1579 that he set out, having dressed himself in\npeasant clothing. Starting in the early morning and avoiding the open\nroads, he made his way by by-paths, and at noon of the following day\nreached the town of Flensburg, where he fortunately met some Saxon\ntraders driving a herd of cattle from Jutland to Germany. He joined\nthese, and on September 30 reached the free town of Luebeck. Here the\nauthorities gave him permission to remain, with a warrant for his\npersonal safety while in the town.\n\nMeanwhile Sir Erik Baner had been wrathfully seeking him, and appeared in\nLuebeck shortly after he reached there, complaining of his ingratitude for\nthe good treatment given him, and threatening the senate of Luebeck with\nChristian's enmity if they should protect one of his foes.\n\nGustavus boldly answered that he was no lawful prisoner, but a man seized\nby breaking a solemn compact, and therefore that he had the right to set\nhimself free. As for the six thousand riks-thalers, which Sir Erik had\nbound himself to pay, he would return them with interest and gratitude\nwhen he got home.\n\n\"I trust to this,\" he concluded, \"that I am in a free town, on whose\nword, when once given, I should be able to depend.\"\n\nThis appeal won his case with the senate, and Sir Erik was obliged to\nreturn without his ward.\n\nBut to make his way to Sweden, then torn and distracted by war, and the\nseas held by hostile craft, was no easy matter and he was forced to\nremain eight months in Luebeck while his country was being rapidly subdued\nby its invaders. They were not idle months, for Gustavus learned much\nwhile there of political and industrial economy and the commerce and\ninstitutions of the Hanseatic League and its free towns, knowledge which\nbecame of much service to him in later years. In the end he succeeded in\nmaking his way to Sweden in a small trading vessel, and on the 31st of\nMay, 1520, landed secretly on its shores, with nothing but his sword and\nhis courage to sustain him against an enemy who had, step by step,\nsubjugated nearly the whole land.\n\n[Illustration: From stereograph, copyright by Underwood and Underwood,\nN.Y. THE FAMOUS XVI. CENTURY CASTLE AT UPSALA, SWEDEN.]\n\nOf the cities, only Stockholm and Calmar remained in the hands of the\nSwedes, and the latter, in which he had landed, seemed full of cowards\nand traitors. The place was not safe for a declared patriot, and he left\nit, making his way up the country. Here he learned with indignation how\nenvy, avarice, and private feuds had induced many Swedes to betray one\nanother to the enemy, and his efforts to exhort the people to unity and\nresistance proved vain. Most of them were weary of the war, and Christian\nhad won over many of the peasants.\n\n\"He is a gracious master to us,\" they said, \"and as long as we obey the\nking neither salt nor herring will fail us.\"\n\nWhen Gustavus sought to win them over to more patriotic views they became\nangry and threatening, and in the end they assailed him with arrows and\nlances, so that he was obliged to make his escape. His position, indeed,\nbecame so critical that he was forced to disguise himself and proceed\nthrough forests and unsettled lands. Finally he reached the manor-house\nin which resided his sister Margaret and her husband, Sir Joachim Brahe.\n\nThey received him with the highest demonstrations of joy, as they had\nfeared that they would never set eyes on him again; but their delight in\nhis presence was turned into consternation when they learned that he was\nthere with the purpose of seeking to foment an insurrection against\nChristian, who had then made himself complete master of Sweden and was on\nthe point of being crowned king.\n\nJoachim Brahe and his wife were at that time preparing to attend\nChristian's coronation at Stockholm, and were deeply disturbed by what\nseemed to them the mad purpose of the young patriot. Joachim offered to\ndo his utmost to reconcile Gustavus to the king, and Margaret threw\nherself in tears and distress on his neck, beseeching him to desist from\nan undertaking which she felt sure would bring death to him and ruin to\nhis whole family.\n\nBut Gustavus was not to be persuaded, and on the other hand he warned\nJoachim against trusting himself in Christian's hands, speaking of him as\na base wretch whom no one could trust. Joachim proved equally hard to\nmove, and the three soon parted, Joachim and his wife for\nStockholm--where death awaited him at the hands of the traitor king--and\nGustavus for a place of concealment where he could foment his plans.\nDuring this interval he met the old archbishop, Jacob Ulfsson, who\nearnestly advised him to go to Stockholm and warmly promised to plead his\ncause with the king. But the fugitive knew Christian far better than the\naged churchman and had no idea of putting his head within the wolfs jaws.\nLittle did the good archbishop dream of the terrible tragedy that was\neven then taking place in Stockholm.\n\nThe news of it came to Gustavus in this way. One day while out hunting in\nthe vicinity of his hiding-place, he unexpectedly met the faithful old\nsteward of his brother-in-law Joachim, who was so choked with grief on\nseeing him that he found it impossible to speak and could answer the\nyoung lord's question only with tears and gestures. Finally he succeeded\nin telling the fearful tale of that bloody day at Stockholm, the death\nunder the executioner's sword of the father and brother-in-law of the\nhorror-stricken listener, the imprisonment of his mother and sisters, and\nthe fact that he would soon become a hunted fugitive, a high price having\nbeen set upon his head.\n\nWho can describe the bitter grief of the son and brother at these\nterrible tidings, the hot wrath of the patriot, the indignation of a true\nand honest heart! On that fatal day the young fugitive had lost all he\nloved and cherished and was made a hunted, homeless, and almost penniless\noutlaw. But his courage did not fail him, he could foresee the\nindignation of the people at the dastardly act, and he determined to\nventure liberty and life against the ruthless tyrant.\n\nA series of striking adventures awaited him, which it needed his utmost\nresolution to endure. He was then concealed at Raefsnaes, one of his\npaternal estates, but felt it necessary at once to seek a safer refuge,\nand collecting what gold and silver he could, he set out with a single\nservant for Dalarna. They had not gone far before they reached the ferry\nat Kolsund, which he crossed, leaving his man to follow. But the fellow,\nwho had no faith in his master's project, took the opportunity to mount\nhis horse and flee, taking with him the gold and jewels which had been\nentrusted to his care.\n\nSeeing the act of treachery, Gustavus in all haste recrossed the ferry,\nand pursued the runaway so hotly that he leaped from his horse in alarm\nand hid himself in the woods. Recovering the horse and its valuable\nburden, the fugitive pursued his course, paying no further heed to the\ntreacherous servant.\n\nIt was late in November when Gustavus reached Dalarna. He was now\ncompletely disguised, having exchanged his ordinary dress for that of a\npeasant, cutting his hair round, wearing the round hat and short baize\njacket of the countrymen, and carrying an axe on his shoulder in the\nfashion of peasant-lads seeking work. No one would have dreamed of his\nbeing the sole heir of the great house of the Vasas.\n\nHis first service was with a rich miner named Anders Persson, in whose\nbarn he threshed grain for several days. But his fellow threshers soon\nsaw that he was not accustomed to the work and his general manner did not\nseem that of a common farm-hand, while one of the women caught the\nglimpse of a silk collar under his coarse jacket. These suspicious\ncircumstances were told to the miner, who sent for Gustavus and quickly\nrecognized him, for he had often seen him in former days at Upsala.\n\nAnders received him hospitably, but when he heard from him of the\nStockholm massacre and his aid was requested in the liberation of the\ncountry, he grew alarmed. Fearing to entertain so dangerous a guest, he\nadvised him to go farther north and to change his place of abode\nfrequently.\n\nAccepting this advice, Gustavus set out for Ornaes, but on his way, while\ncrossing a newly frozen stream, the thin ice broke under him and he was\nplunged into the chilling water. Light and active, he soon got out again,\ndrying his clothes and passing the night at the house of the ferryman.\n\nReaching Ornaes the next day, he went to the house of a former friend, but\nwho now, unknown to him, had become connected by marriage with the Danes\nand was devoted to the interests of the new king. It was a critical\nsituation for the friendless fugitive. His treacherous host craftily\nwelcomed him and pretended to approve his purpose, in which he offered to\nassist him and to seek adherents to his cause among his neighbors.\n\nThe guest was conducted to a garret at the top of the house and here,\nweary from his wanderings and gratified at having found a sympathizing\nfriend, he lay confidingly down and was soon lost in slumber. Meanwhile\nArendt, the treacherous host, sought a neighbor, Mans Nilsson, whom he\ntold of the rich prize he had found and asked his aid in capturing him\nand gaining the high reward offered for him by the king. He was mistaken\nin his man. Mans hated treachery. But Arendt found others who were less\nscrupulous and in the early morning returned to his home heading twenty\nmen, collected to aid him in the capture of his unsuspecting guest. To\nhis utter surprise and dismay, on entering the garret to which Gustavus\nhad been led he was nowhere to be found. He had unaccountably\ndisappeared, and search as they could no trace of the fugitive was\nforthcoming.\n\nThere was a woman concerned in this strange escape, which had happened\nthus. Barbara, Arendt's wife, though Danish in her sympathies, had a\nwarm, romantic interest in Gustavus Vasa, and when she saw her husband,\non his return from his visit to Mans Nilsson, drive past the house and in\nthe direction of the house of the Danish steward, she suspected him of\ntreachery and determined to save their too-confiding guest.\n\nOrdering Jacob, one of her men, to harness a sledge with all haste and\nsecrecy and keep it in waiting behind the building, she sought the\ngarret, woke Gustavus, and told him of his peril and of her desire to\nsave him. Not venturing to bring him down into the house, she opened the\nwindow, and though it was eighteen feet from the ground, she aided him in\nhis descent with a long towel, such as were then in common use. Gustavus\nthen sprang into the sledge and was driven briskly off.\n\nArendt, when he learned of how his expected victim had fled, was\nfuriously angry with his wife, and, as we are told, never forgave her and\nrefused ever to set eyes on her again.\n\nThis was the most extreme danger that the fugitive patriot ever passed\nthrough, and at that interval his hope of freeing his country from the\nyoke of the foreigner seemed the sheerest madness. But other perils lay\nbefore him and only vigilance and good fortune saved him more than once\nfrom death or capture. Surrounded by foes and with scarce a friend who\ndared aid him in the whole district, his final escape seemed impossible.\n\nThe friendly Barbara had advised him to seek Herr Jon, the priest of\nSvaerdsjoe, and his driver took the road over the frozen Lake Runn, they\nascending its banks in the smoke coming down from the Fahun copper mines,\nand about sunrise reaching a village on the northeast end of the lake.\nJacob was unacquainted with the country beyond this point and Gustavus\nwent to a house to inquire the way. As he was on the point of entering\nhe saw within a miner, Nils Haussen, whom he knew to be a Danish partisan\nand who would have recognized him at sight. Quickly and without being\nseen, he turned behind the door and went towards another village beyond.\nHere he met a friendly smelter who agreed to guide him on the way. When\nthey parted Gustavus gave him a silver dagger, saying gratefully:\n\n\"If God helps me, seek me, and I will richly repay you for your aid.\"\n\nAs night came on he sought quarters in a road-side cottage, and as he sat\nbefore the fire in the evening the good-wife said to him:\n\n\"Young man, make me some pudding skewers, since you have nothing else to\ndo.\"\n\nGustavus laughingly replied that he would be glad to do so if he only\nknew how. This adventure has an interesting resemblance to that of King\nAlfred, when, hidden from the Danes in the swine-herd's hut, he let the\ngood woman's cakes burn on the fire.\n\nReaching the parsonage of Herr Jon on the following day, he first went to\nthe barn and helped the laborers to thresh, at the same time asking them\nwhat side their master took. Learning that he was no friend of the Danes,\nhe made himself known to him and was graciously received, staying with\nhim for three days.\n\nBut this place soon became unsafe. One day Herr Jon's housekeeper entered\na room where Gustavus was washing, the priest standing by, towel in\nhand.\n\n\"Why are you holding the towel for this common fellow?\" she asked.\n\n\"That is none of your affairs,\" said the priest.\n\nBut fearing that the woman would talk, he thought it best for his guest\nto seek a safer retreat, and sent him to Swen Elfsson, gamekeeper for the\ncrown, who lived not far away.\n\nMeanwhile the Danish steward, who had been told by the treacherous Arendt\nof the character of his guest, had his agents out in search of the\nfugitive and some of them entered the cottage of the gamekeeper. At that\nmoment the good-wife was about putting her bread in the fire, and\nGustavus was standing by the hearth in his peasant's dress, warming\nhimself. The men who entered inquired for the fugitive, but before\nanswering the woman raised her bread shovel and struck Gustavus hastily\non the back, exclaiming:\n\n\"What are you doing here gaping at strangers? Have you never seen a man\nbefore? Pack yourself off to the barn and go on with your threshing.\"\n\nNever dreaming that the man who had been so angrily treated by a\npeasant's wife could be the young lord they sought, the steward's\nmessengers left the house to continue their search elsewhere.\n\nBut the incident warned the gamekeeper that his guest was not safe\nanywhere in that vicinity, and to get him away unobserved he hid him in a\nlarge load of hay and drove off towards the forest. On the way some of\nthe Danish scouts were met, and these, having some suspicion of Swen,\nbegan poking their lances through the hay. One of these wounded Gustavus\nin the leg, but he lay silent and motionless and the scouts soon went\ntheir way.\n\nBut the cut on the concealed man's leg bled so freely that blood soon\nbegan to run from the cart and tinge the snow. Seeing this, Swen, fearing\nthat the trail of blood might betray him, opened his knife and thrust it\ninto the leg of his horse, so that if any one should perceive the blood\nstains he could assign this as their cause.\n\nHe finally delivered his charge to the care of some loyal gamekeepers on\nthe edge of the forest; but these, not considering their houses safe as\nhiding-places, took him into the forest, where he lay hidden for three\ndays under a great fallen fir tree, they bringing him food and drink.\nFinding even this place insecure, he went deeper into the woods and\nsought shelter under a lofty fir tree which stood on a hill in the midst\nof a marsh. The place has ever since been called \"The King's Height.\"\n\nFinally the effort of the Danish agents to find him relaxed and his\nfaithful friends conducted him through the vast forests to Raettwik's\nChurch, at the eastern end of the great Lake Silja.\n\nHis perils were yet by no means at an end. He spoke of his purpose at\nthis place to an assembly of the peasants and was pleased to find that\nthey listened to him with willing ears. Having thus sown his first seed\nin favorable soil, he proceeded to Mora on the northern end of the lake,\nwhere the priest received him in a friendly manner. But he was being\nsought by the Danes in that district and the priest did not dare to hide\nhim in his own house, but committed him to the care of a peasant named\nTomte Mattes. As the search was becoming active he was concealed in a\nvaulted cellar, reached by a trap-door in the floor.\n\nHe had not been long there when the Danish scouts, who were searching the\nwhole district, reached the peasant's house, where they found his wife in\nthe midst of her brewing of Christmas ale. As they entered, the shrewd\nwoman turned a great tub over the trap-door, so that they did not\nperceive it, and thus for the third time the future king of Sweden owed\nhis liberty and life to a woman's wit.\n\nShortly after that, at one of the Christmas festivals, as the men of Mora\nwere leaving the church, Gustavus called them to him where he stood on a\nlow mound beside the churchyard and addressed them in earnest tones,\nwhile they gazed with deep sympathy on the manly form of the young noble\nof whose sufferings and those of his family they were well aware.\n\nHe spoke of the risk to his life that he ran in venturing to speak to\nthem at all, but said that his unhappy country was dearer to him than\nlife. He pointed out the persecution which Sweden had formerly endured\nfrom Danish kings, and of how they had robbed the country of its wealth.\n\n\"The same times and the same misfortunes have now returned,\" he said.\n\"Our land swims, so to say, in our own blood. Many hundred Swedish men\nhave been made to suffer a disgraceful and unmerited death. Our bishops\nand senators have been cruelly murdered. I myself have lost father and\nbrother-in-law,\" he continued, his eyes streaming with tears, \"and the\nblood of all these martyrs cries for redress and retribution on the\ntyrant.\"\n\nThe men of Dalarna, he said, had long been noted for their courage when\ntheir land was in danger. They were renowned for this in history, and all\nSweden looked upon them as the firmest defenders of its liberties.\n\n\"I will willingly join with you for our land's deliverance,\" he\nconcluded, \"and spare neither my blood nor my sword, for these are all\nthe tyrant has left me to use in your cause.\"\n\nMany of the Dalmen heard him with cries of vengeance, but the most of\nthem stood in doubt. They did not know Gustavus personally and had heard\nthat Christian was cruel only to the great, but was kind and generous to\nthe peasantry. They could not yet make up their minds what to do, and\nbegged him to seek safer quarters for himself, since he was being\neverywhere diligently sought by his pursuers.\n\nIn fact, his peril continued extreme and for some days he was forced to\nlie hidden under Morkarlely Bridge, near Mora Church, though it was in\nthe dead of a Swedish winter. He was able at length to resume his\njourney, but it was with an almost despairing heart, for he could see no\nhope either for himself or for his country. His led way over mountains\nand through desolate valleys, his nights being spent in wayside sheds\nwhich had been built for the shelter of travellers. On he went, through\nforests filled with snow and along the side of mountain torrents, and\nfinally came within view of the lofty mountains beyond which lay the\nsister kingdom of Norway.\n\nNever had patriot more reason to be disheartened than the unhappy and\nhunted fugitive, never had the hope of liberating an oppressed country\nseemed darker, and the fugitive would have been justified in abandoning\nhis native land and seeking a refuge in the bleak hills of Norway. Yet\nthe adage has often held good that it is the darkest hour before the dawn\nof day, and so it was to prove in his case. While he waited in that\ndesolate quarter to which he had been driven, events were shaping\nthemselves in his favor and the first rising took place against the\nDanes.\n\nThe stirring speech of the young noble at Mora Church had not been made\nin vain. Many of those who heard it had been strongly taken by his\nmanliness and his powerful language, and, strangely, the most deeply\nimpressed of all was Rasmas Jute, a Dane who had served the Stures and\nwas now settled in Dalarna.\n\nHearing that a Danish steward had come to that quarter to seek the\nfugitive and was now at the house of the sergeant of Mora parish, he\narmed himself and his servants and fell on the steward unawares, the\nfirst to take arms for Gustavus being thus a man of Danish birth. Soon\nafterwards a troop of Danish horsemen, a full hundred in number, was\nseen marching over the frozen surface of Lake Silja. So numerous a body\nof soldiers was unusual in those parts, and suspecting that they were in\nsearch of Gustavus, and might do something to their own injury, the\npeasants began ringing the church bells, the usual summons to arms.\n\nThe wind carried the sound far to the northward, and on hearing the\nwarning peal the peasantry seized their arms and bodies of them were soon\nvisible hasting down the hills towards Mora. The Danish troopers, on\nseeing this multitude of armed men, shut themselves in the priest's\nhouse. Here they were attacked by the furious Dalmen, who broke open the\ndoors and rushed in. The terrified Danes now fled to the church and took\nrefuge in its steeple, whither they were quickly followed. Only by\ndejected appeals and a promise not to injure Gustavus Vasa did they\nsucceed in escaping from the tower, and the Dalmen, thinking that some of\nthem might remain concealed in the narrow spire, shot their arrows at it\nfrom every side. For more than a hundred years after some of these arrows\nremained sticking in the old wooden spire.\n\nDalarna being looked upon as a centre of Swedish patriotism, a number of\nthe persecuted noblemen took refuge there, and those confirmed all that\nGustavus had told the people. And when Lars Olssen, an old warrior well\nknown to them, arrived and told them of the gallows which Christian had\nerected, of the new taxes he had laid on the peasantry, and of the report\nthat he had threatened to cut a hand and a foot off each peasant, with\nother tales true and false, they were deeply stirred. When Lars learned\nthat Gustavus had been there and what had passed, he reproached them for\ntheir folly in not supporting him.\n\n\"Good men,\" he said, \"I know that gentleman well, and tell you that if\nyourselves and all the people of the country are not to be oppressed and\neven exterminated Gustavus Vasa is the only one who has sense and\nknowledge enough to lead us and lay hand to so great a work.\"\n\nWhile they were talking another fugitive came from the forest, who\nconfirmed all that Lars had said and gave them a full account of the\nblood-bath at Stockholm and of how the body of Sten Sture, their beloved\nleader, had been torn from the grave and dishonored.\n\nThese stories filled their hearers with horror, terror, and fury; war and\nbloody retribution was their only cry; their hearts were filled with\nremorse that they had let Gustavus, their country's chief hope, depart\nunaided. Two of them, the fleetest snow-skaters of the region, were\nchosen to follow him and bring him back, and off they went through the\nforests, following his track, and at length finding him at Saelen, the\nlast village in that section, and immediately at the foot of the lofty\nNorwegian mountains. A few words sufficed to tell him of the great change\nof feeling that had taken place, and with heart-felt joy Gustavus\naccompanied them back, to begin at length the great work of freeing his\nnative land.\n\n\n\n\n_THE FALL OF CHRISTIAN II. THE TYRANT._\n\n\nIt was in November, 1520, that Christian II. of Denmark was crowned king\nof Sweden. Norway was his as well and he was monarch of the whole\nScandinavian world. He had reached the highest point in his career, but\nso great had been his cruelty and treachery that all men feared and no\nman trusted him and he was on the brink of a sudden and complete\noverthrow. The man who had worn the crowns of three kingdoms was to spend\nyears within the narrow walls of a dungeon, with none to pity him in his\nmisery, but all to think that he deserved it all and more. Barely has\ntyranny met with such retribution on earth, and the \"Fall of the Tyrant\"\nwill serve as a fitting title to an impressive tale.\n\nSo sudden and successful was the rebellion of the Swedes under Gustavus\nVasa, that in the summer of the year after the massacre in the Great\nSquare of Stockholm the Danes held only that city and a few other\nstrongholds in Sweden. One after another these fell, Calmar and Stockholm\nin 1523, and in June of that year Gustavus was chosen king of the land\nwhich his hand had freed. A young man still, he was at the beginning of a\ngreat and glorious reign.\n\nBefore he became king, Christian, his great enemy, had ceased to reign.\nHe had shown the same inhuman spirit in Denmark and Norway as in Sweden\nand had sown his whole dominion thick with enemies.\n\nThis is the way his fall was brought about. In 1522 he issued a code of\nlaws for Denmark of a wise and progressive character, especially in\nfreeing the peasantry from the slavish condition in which they had been\nheld, they before being open to purchase and sale like so many brute\nanimals. Christian declared that every man should be his own master and\ntook steps to limit the power and wealth of the clergy and to improve the\ncommerce of the kingdom.\n\nThese changes, while wise and important, were difficult to introduce\nagainst the opposition of the lords and the clergy and needed the hand of\na prudent and judicious administrator. Such Christian was not. He\nundertook them rashly and endeavored to enforce them by violence. Even\nthe people, whom the new laws so favored, were incensed by a great\nincrease in their taxes. No one trusted him; every one hated and feared\nhim. Even the monarchs of other countries detested him and would not aid\nhim in his extremity.\n\nThe details of the blood-bath in Stockholm had reached the ears of the\nPope and he sent a legate to inquire into the atrocities committed under\nthe implied sanction of the Church. As they were not to be concealed,\nChristian attempted to excuse them, and, driven to extremity, accused one\nof his chief favorites, Didrik Slaghoek, as the originator of the\nmassacre.\n\nSlaghoek had just been named archbishop of Lund, but was brought to\nCopenhagen, examined under torture, condemned to death, and carried to\nthe gallows and thence to a funeral pile on which he was burned alive,\nChristian leaving the town that he might not witness the cruel death of\nhis late favorite.\n\nThis cowardly sacrifice of his devoted friend and servant, instead of\nwinning the favor of the people, redoubled their abhorrence of the\nbloodthirsty tyrant. Shortly afterwards the Luebeckers invaded the\nkingdom, and Christian, not trusting his people, called in foreign\nsoldiers to repel them. Needing money for their pay, he called a diet to\nmeet on December 10, 1522. Few attended it, and in anger he called a new\nmeeting for the following January.\n\nBefore the date arrived rumors were set afloat that he intended to\nbutcher the Danish nobles as he had done those of Sweden, that chains\nwere being provided to secure them, and that he would have disguised\nexecutioners among his guards; also that new and heavier taxes were to be\nlaid on the peasants.\n\nThese rumors, widely circulated, incensed and frightened the nobility and\na meeting was held by the nobles of Jutland in which they determined to\nrenounce their allegiance to Christian and offer the crown to his uncle,\nFrederick, duke of Holstein.\n\nMagnus Munk, one of these lords, was chosen to deliver their decision to\nChristian and sought him for this purpose. But it was far from safe to\noffer King Christian such a document openly, and Munk pretended to be\nmaking a friendly visit, conversing and drinking with the king until a\nlate hour of the night. On rising to retire, he thrust into Christian's\nglove, which had been left on the table, the letter of renouncement of\nthe Jutland nobles.\n\nInstead of going to bed, Munk hastened to the vessel in which he had come\nand sailed to Holstein, where he made to Frederick the offer of the\ncrown. As may be imagined, there was little hesitation in accepting it.\n\nThe next morning a page of the palace found the king's glove on the table\nand took it to him. On reading the letter which he found in it the tyrant\nwas filled with fear and fury. He sent guards to seize Munk, but when\ntold that he was not to be found, his terror grew intense. He knew not\nwhere to turn nor what to do. He might have gathered an army of the\npeasants, to whom he had just given freedom, to fight the nobles, but\ninstead he wrote to the lords, abjectly acknowledging his faults and\npromising to act differently in the future.\n\nThey were not to be won, no one trusting him. Then the terrified tyrant\nhurried to Copenhagen and rode round the streets, imploring the citizens\nwith tears to aid him, confessing his errors and vowing to change his\nways. Many of the people, unused to see a king in tears, were moved by\nhis petitions, but no wise man trusted him, few came to his assistance,\nand the sedition rapidly gained strength.\n\nAt length he took a desperate step. In the harbor lay twenty large\nwarships, which he might have used for defence, but in his terror he\nthought only of flight. All the treasure he could lay hands on was\ncarried to these vessels, even the gilt balls on top of the church spires\nbeing taken. Sigbrit, a detestable favorite, who had given him much evil\ncounsel and dared not show herself to the enraged people, was carried on\nboard in a chest and placed among his valuables. He, his wife and\nchildren, and a few faithful servants, followed, and on the 20th of\nApril, 1523, he set sail from his native land in a passion of grief and\ndespair. A violent storm scattered his ships, but the one that bore him\nreached Antwerp in safety. Sigbrit, who had crept from her trunk, sought\nto console him by saying that if he could no longer be king of Denmark he\nmight at least become burgomaster of Amsterdam.\n\nThus did this cruel and contemptible coward, who less than three years\nbefore had been unquestioned monarch of all Scandinavia, lose the crown\nhe was so unfit to wear, and land, a despised fugitive, in a Dutch city,\nwith but a handful of followers. His fall was thoroughly well deserved,\nfor it was an immediate consequence of the detestation he had aroused by\nhis deed of blood in Stockholm, and there was scarce a man in Europe to\npity him in his degradation.\n\nIt was a sad thing that the salutary laws he had promulgated in the last\nyear of his reign came from so evil a source. Frederick was forced by the\nnobles to whom he owed his throne to abrogate them, and the code was even\nburned as \"a dangerous book contrary to good morals.\" The peasants fell\nback into their former state of semi-slavery and for centuries afterwards\nfailed to enjoy the freedom accorded to the people of their sister states\nof Norway and Sweden.\n\nIn the years that followed the deposed king went from court to court of\nthe German princes, seeking help to regain his throne, but meeting with\nscorn and contempt from some of them and refusal from all. He still\nretained much of the wealth of which he had robbed Copenhagen, and now,\nin despair of obtaining assistance, he took into his service a number of\nsoldiers of fortune whom a treaty of peace had lately thrown out of\nemployment.\n\nWith these sons of adventure, twelve thousand in all, he ravaged Holland,\nwhich had recently afforded him refuge, doing so much mischief that he\nwas at length bought off. The emperor, Charles V., then ruler over\nHolland and brother-in-law to the adventurer, paid him the fifty thousand\ngulden still due on his wife's dower and gave him twelve battle-ships in\naddition. The Dutch whom he was plundering helped in this as the easiest\nway to be quit of him, and, with a body of experienced troops, with\nfunds and a fleet, the hope of winning back his old dominions arose in\nhis soul.\n\nThere were many malcontents then in Sweden, ready to aid him in an\ninvasion, and the clergy and nobility of Norway, dissatisfied with\nFrederick's rule, subscribed large sums in money and plate for his aid.\nFinally, thus strengthened and encouraged, Christian set sail for the\nNorthland with twenty-five ships and an army of eight thousand men.\n\nUnfortunately for him the elements proved adverse, a violent storm\nscattering the fleet and sending nearly half of it to the bottom. He had\nonly fifteen ships and a reduced number of men when, in November, 1531,\nhe landed at Obslo, Norway.\n\nThe nobles and people, however, discontented with Frederick's government\nand eager for a king of their own choice, declared for him and at a diet\nheld at Obslo proclaimed him king, only a few nobles dissenting. These,\nhowever, held the strongest fortresses in the kingdom. One of these was\nMagnus Gyllenstierna, governor of Aggerhus. Against this stronghold\nChristian led all his force and might easily have taken it, for it was\nlacking in provisions, but for a stratagem by which Magnus saved himself\nand his fortress.\n\nHe sent word to Christian that the place was too weak for him to attempt\nto hold and that he had seen the king's success with pleasure; but, to\nsave himself from the imputation of cowardice, he begged leave for time\nto ask King Frederick for assistance. If none came before the 1st of May\nhe would willingly surrender the place.\n\nAdept in deceit as Christian was, he this time suffered himself to be\ntricked. At the suggestion of Magnus a thousand men were sent from\nDenmark, and led by secret paths over mountains and through forests in\nall haste, throwing themselves into Aggerhus while Christian was watching\nthe seas to intercept them. In a rage he hurried back to renew the siege,\nbut the shrewd commandant was now strong enough to defy him.\n\nTure Joensson, one of the Swedish nobles who had joined Christian, led a\nportion of his forces against the fortress of Bohus, writing to its\ncommandant, Klass Bille, a letter in which he set forth the great change\nfor good which had come upon King Christian and begging him to side with\nhis Grace. He closed in the manner customary in those days: \"Commending\nyou, with your dear wife, children, and friends, hereby to God's\nprotection.\"\n\nOn the next day he received the following answer:\n\n    \"Greeting suited to the season.\n\n    Learn, Ture Joensson, that I yesterday received your writing with\n    some of your loose words with which you sought to seduce me from my\n    honor, soil my integrity and oath, and make me like yourself, which\n    God, who preserves the consciences of all honest men, forbid. To the\n    long and false talk which your letter contains, I confess myself,\n    by God's providence to be too good to give you any other answer than\n    this which my letter conveys. You have so often turned and worn your\n    coat, and it is now so miserably thread-bare on both sides, that it\n    is no longer fit to appear among the apparel of any honest man. No\n    more this time, I commend you to him to whom God the Father\n    commended that man who betrayed His only Son,\n\n    _Ex Bohus._\n\n    Sunday next before Lady-day, 1531.\"\n\nKlass Bille proved as good with an answer by balls and blows as by pen,\nand the Castle of Bohus defied all attempts to take it.\n\nMeanwhile the Swedish exiles were writing to their friends at home, and,\nelated by the capture of a Swedish fort, Christian marched his army\ntowards the frontier, and made ready to invade the kingdom from which he\nhad been driven two years before.\n\nBut Gustavus and Frederick were not idle. They recognized the danger of\nthis invasion and prepared to meet it, renewing their treaties that they\nmight work loyally together. Gustavus wrote to his officers not to fight\nwith Christian unless they were from four to six times as strong, as he\nwished to give him a reception that would cure him of all future desire\nto return to Sweden.\n\nThe forces of Christian and Gustavus first met at Kungelf, where\nChristian looked with disturbed eyes on his antagonists as he saw them\nmarching across a frozen river, among them three thousand men in armor of\npolished steel. Turning to Ture Joensson, who stood beside him, he said\nwrathfully:\n\n\"You said that there was not a man-at-arms in Sweden. What see you\nyonder? Do you think those old women?\"\n\nThe next morning Ture Joensson's body was found lying headless in the\nstreet, whether thus punished by Christian for his lies or by some Swede\nfor his treason, is not known.\n\nThe war began with equal fortune at first to each side, but later fortune\nturned in favor of the Swedes, while food grew scarce in Christian's\narmy, his foragers being beaten back wherever they appeared. Soon, with\nan army dwindled to two thousand men, he was forced to march back to\nObslo.\n\nSo far Gustavus's army had been fighting alone, and it was not until\nMarch, 1532, that some Danish ships of war arrived. But their coming soon\nended the war. They burned Christian's vessels and reinforced Aggerhus,\nand in May sailed towards Obslo.\n\nChristian's hopes of success were now at an end. He had made his final\neffort and had failed. His men were forsaking him in troops and\nresistance to his foes became impossible. As a last resort he tried a\ncrafty expedient, contriving to get some forged letters distributed in\nthe Danish camp to the effect that twenty Dutch men-of-war, with five\nthousand troops, were coming to his aid.\n\nThe Danish commander, alarmed at this report, hastened to conclude peace\nwith him, on condition that all who had taken part in the rebellion\nshould be pardoned. Christian was to cross to Denmark, and if he could\nnot agree with Frederick was to be free to go to Germany, on giving a\nsolemn oath never again to make any attempt on the three Scandinavian\nkingdoms.\n\nBefore this treaty was confirmed messengers arrived from Frederick who\ndiscovered the condition of Christian to be hopeless and insisted on an\nunconditional surrender. But Knut, the Danish admiral, who had been given\nfull power to act, took Christian on his ships and sailed with him to\nDenmark, where he insisted that the conditions he had made should be\nobserved.\n\nFrederick and his council were in a strait. To let this tiger loose again\nwas too dangerous, and finally some pretext for breaking the treaty was\nmade and Christian was sentenced to a life imprisonment in the Castle of\nSanderberg on the island of Femern. Frederick and his son were obliged to\nconfirm this sentence by a written promise to the Danish nobles that they\nwould never release the detested prisoner.\n\nWhen Christian learned that the convention had been broken he wept\nbitterly, lamenting that \"he had fallen into the hands of men who cared\nneither for oaths, promises, nor seals.\"\n\nThese complaints no one heeded. He was taken deep into the dungeons of\nSanderberg Castle, and locked up in a dark and narrow prison vault\ndestitute of every convenience, his only companion being a half-witted\ndwarf who had long been in his service. With the harshness common in\nthose days, and which in his case was well deserved, the door of the\ncell was walled up, only one small opening being left through which he\ncould receive the scanty allowance of food brought him, and a little\nbarred window through which some sparse light could make its way.\n\nIn this dreadful prison the captive remained twelve years without the\nslightest amelioration of its conditions. Then the door was opened and\nfresh air and other conveniences were allowed him, but a strict watch was\nkept up. Finally in 1549, five years later, it being believed that no\nharm could possibly come from an old man sixty-eight years of age, he was\ntaken to Kallendborg Castle, where he was permitted to entertain himself\nby hunting or in any other manner he pleased. He lived ten years later,\nending in 1559 a life whose misfortunes were a just reward for his\nfaithlessness and cruelty in his day of power.\n\n\n\n\n_THE WEST GOTHLAND INSURRECTION._\n\n\nSweden never had a wiser or more judicious ruler than King Gustavus Vasa,\nbut in that land of turbulent lords and ambitious mischief-makers the\nnoblest and most generous of kings could not reign without secret\nplotting and rebellious sentiments. So it fell out in Sweden in 1529,\nafter Gustavus had been six years on the throne.\n\nThe leader in this movement was one Ture Joensson, a hoary old conspirator\nof great influence in West Gothland, where he and his ancestors had long\nbeen judges and where he was looked upon by the people as their lord and\nchief. By a decision of the court he was obliged to restore to the king\ncertain property which he unjustly held, and he vented his feelings\nbitterly against the heretic and tyrant, as he called him. In fact, he\nhatched a conspiracy, which spread widely, through his influence, among\nthe nobles of West Gothland.\n\nIn Smaland there was much discontent with the teaching of the Lutheran\ndoctrines and an outbreak took place, the king's sister and her husband\nbeing taken prisoners by the insurgents. These sent letters to Ture\nJoensson in West Gothland, asking him to be their captain, and also wrote\nto East Gothland, inciting the people to rise and expel their monarch.\n\nTure Joensson had three sons, one of them a distinguished soldier in the\nking's service, while the second was a man high in the king's favor. The\nold rebel had high hopes of aid from these two, and wrote them letters\ninciting them to rebellion. But they were not to be drawn from their\nallegiance, and took the letters with unbroken seals to the king,\npromising to devote their lives to his cause.\n\nThe third son, Herr Goeran, dean in Upsala, was of different mold and\nsentiment. Opposed to the king on religious grounds, he gathered a body\nof peasant runaways, a hundred in number, and, afraid to stay in his\nhouse, he took them to a wood in the neighborhood, felled trees for\nbarricades, and laid up a supply of provisions in his impromptu fort.\n\nFrom there he proceeded to Bollnaes, gathering more men and growing\nbolder, and fancying in his small soul that he was the destined leader of\na great rebellion. But his valor vanished when a priest of the vicinity,\nnamed Erik, a man faithful to the king, called together a body of his\nparishioners and marched against the would-be insurgent.\n\nDean Goeran was standing at a garret window when he saw these men\napproaching. At once, with a most unsoldierlike panic, he rushed in\nterror down stairs and fled through a back door into the forest, without\na word to his men of the coming danger. The house was surrounded and the\nmen made prisoners, the king's steward, whom they held captive, being\nreleased. Erik spoke to them so severely of their disloyalty that they\nfell on their knees in prayer and petition, and when he told them that\nthe best way to gain pardon for their act was to seek and deliver their\nfugitive leader, they gladly undertook the task.\n\n[Illustration: NORWEGIAN CARRIAGE CALLED STOLKJAEM.]\n\nThe scared leader of rebels meanwhile was wandering in anguish and alarm\nthrough the wide wood, not knowing what to do. Coming at length to a\nlarge forest lake, he entered a little boat that he found and pushed off\nfrom land, thinking thus to be in greater safety.\n\nAs he thus sat, lost in his unquiet thoughts, some of his late followers\nreached the lake and saw him. So absorbed was he in his bitter\nreflections that he failed to see other boats gliding out towards him,\nand they were close upon him before he perceived them. Then, leaping up\nin wild fright, he sought in his despair to jump into the water, but\nbefore he could do so some of the peasants had rowed up and seized him.\nIn his bitterness of spirit he tore the gold chain from his neck and the\nrings from his fingers and flung them into the lake, resolved that they\nshould not become the spoil of the king he hated.\n\nBut Gustavus was not the man to trouble himself about such small fry of\nconspirators as this. The dean was taken to Upsala and thence to\nStockholm, where he was kept in confinement, though with every comfort,\nuntil the rebellion incited by his father was quelled. Then the king,\ntaking into account his brothers' loyalty and his own insignificance,\nfreed him and restored him his property. He could well afford to be\nlenient to a rebel of his calibre.\n\nIf this was all we had to tell, it would not be worth the telling, but\nthe conspiracy in West Gothland went on and led to events of far greater\ninterest. A born plotter, old Joensson kept at his work, and to prevent\nany news of what was taking place from reaching the king, a guard of a\nthousand men was placed to watch the highway and stop all messengers. At\nthe head of this guard was a priest called Nils of Hvalstad, a thorough\nhater of the king. To him the insurgents sent their letters, to be\nforwarded to those for whom they were intended. Such was the state of\naffairs, the designs of the plotters ripening while the king was in this\nway kept in ignorance of matters of such importance to him.\n\nNow we come to the dramatic means by which the king was advised of the\nplot. A scout was needed to pass the guards set by the rebels and bring\nword to Gustavus of what was going on in West Gothland, and for this\npurpose was chosen a young town-sergeant of Stockholm, so famed for\nboldness that the people called him Hans Hardy. He had been born in West\nGothland and was familiar with the people and the roads of that province\nand was therefore well adapted for the work. He accomplished it in a\nmanner much better than was expected.\n\nMaking his way through forest paths and along little-frequented by-ways,\nhe succeeded in crossing the river that bordered the province and passing\nthe rebel outposts, making his way to his old home, where he spent\nseveral weeks with his relations, meanwhile secretly gathering the\ninformation needed.\n\nOn his return he pursued a different course. Buying a quantity of West\nGothland cheese, he went directly towards the ford of the Tiweden and so\nmanaged as to let himself fall into the hands of the guard, who brought\nhim to their leader, Nils of Hvalstad.\n\nThe rebel priest charged the seeming peasant roundly with being a spy,\nbut the cunning fellow pretended to be very simple and bucolic, saying\nthat it had been four years since he had been in Upland and he now wanted\nto go there and sell his cheese.\n\nNils was not so easily to be hoodwinked, but bade his men take the\nsupposed spy to the sergeant's house at Hofwa, where four men were set\nover him as guards. The pretended simpleton seemed well-enough pleased,\neating and drinking freely, talking cheerfully of country affairs with\nhis guards, and spending his money freely, so that the sergeant grew to\nlike the jovial country lad.\n\nAfter a few days, however, Hans pretended to be sick, sighing and\ngroaning as if in severe pain. Finally he took to his bed and seemed in\nsuch a sad state that they all pitied the poor cheesemonger and his\nguards often left him for hours alone, thinking his sickness was all the\nsecurity that was needed.\n\nHans Hardy had a purpose in this. He had discovered that Nils kept a box\nin a dark corner of the room and imagined that it might contain something\nof importance to him in his mission. In fact he had thrown himself in his\nhands for the purpose of fathoming his plots. One day, while left alone,\nhe got up and examined the box, and to his joy found in it a number of\nletters from the chief conspirators, containing full evidence of their\ncomplication. Having read enough of them to gain an idea of their\ncharacter, he put them back, shut the box, and pushed it again into its\ndark corner.\n\nThen he took to his bed once more and when his guards returned they found\nhim moaning more sorely than before and seeming in such sad case that\nthey thought him at the point of death. Pitying the poor fellow, they\ndeemed it idle to watch him and went contentedly to their beds. The next\nmorning, when they rose, the sick man had vanished and with him the box\nand its contents. Hans had got off with the precious burden into the\nforest, with whose paths he was thoroughly familiar, leaving his late\nguards his cheese for consolation.\n\nHe reached Stockholm in safety with his budget of letters and took them\nto the king, who rewarded him liberally for his valuable service and bade\nhim to keep it secret. This he did, and it was long before any one knew\nwhere Hans Hardy had been or what had become of the lost letters. King\nGustavus kept his counsel and bided his time.\n\nMeanwhile the work of the conspirators went on, they going so far as to\nnominate a new king, their choice falling upon Mans Bryntesson, Ture\nJoensson's brother-in-law, a handsome and eloquent young man, far more\nsuitable in person than in mind for a king. He was soft, irresolute, and\nsomewhat foolish, and when treated with royal honors by the conspirators,\nhe began holding court with princely pomp, borrowing money from his\nfriends for this purpose when his own was exhausted.\n\nHaving gone so far with his plans, Ture called a convention of the people\nof the province to meet on Larfva Heath, saying that he had matters of\nthe highest importance to lay before them. Here was a great plain, where\nthe Gothlanders for ages had held their public meetings, and where Ture's\nsummons brought together a goodly number.\n\nWith the insurgent lords around him, and proud of his power and\nauthority, Sir Ture now addressed the peasants, in full confidence of\ntheir support. His principal charge against the king was that he had\naccepted the Lutheran doctrines and wished to introduce a new faith into\nthe country to the ruin of the common people.\n\n\"Now,\" he continued, \"I have always understood that the good West\nGothlanders have no mind to become Lutherans, but prefer to retain the\nold faith which their fathers and forefathers have had before them. If\nyou will from this day renounce King Gustavus I will give you a mild and\ngracious sovereign, who will preserve for you your good old customs.\"\n\nBishop Magnus followed with a brief address, after which Sir Ture,\nconvinced from the intent silence of the peasants that they were with\nhim, said:\n\n\"Let him who gives his consent to take a new king stretch up his hands.\"\n\nTo his consternation not a hand was lifted, while a threatening murmur\nwas heard among the peasants. Neither the lords nor the bishop knew what\nto make of this. They had gone on with their plots without a dream that\nthe people would not be with them. As for the newly chosen king, who had\nbeen eagerly waiting to receive their homage, he fell back white and\ntrembling. At length two young peasants stood forth to speak for the\npeople, one of them loudly declaring:\n\n\"We have nothing to charge against King Gustavus, but owe him deep\ngratitude for having freed us from the cruel and tyrannical rule of King\nChristian, and kept the land in law and right as well as in peace and\nquiet. What you, good sirs, say of the new faith, we peasants can neither\njudge nor understand; perhaps it may not be so bad as fame reports.\nChange of rulers generally costs the peasants and the land dear, and we\nmight by these means draw upon ourselves and our children long disquiet\nand disorder. It seems, therefore, best for us to remain in the faith\nand allegiance which we have sworn and promised to our lawful lord and\nmaster Gustaf Eriksson.\"\n\nThese words had evidently the full approval of the people, to judge from\ntheir upstretched hands and their loud acclamations, and at once the\ncourage of the conspirators fell to the ground. What to say or to do they\nknew not. They had foolishly gone forward with their plots without\nconsulting the people and now found themselves in a sore dilemma. Instead\nof coming to their aid, as they had expected, there was reason to fear\nthat the peasants would seize them and hand them over to the king. In his\nutter dismay Ture Joensson faltered out:\n\n\"My very good friends, I only wished by this trial to test your fidelity.\nNone of the lords have a thought of deserting the king. A fortnight hence\nwe hope to meet you here again, to consult further on our mutual\ninterests.\"\n\nThis ended the meeting on Larfva Heath. The peasants returned to their\nhomes and the lords in dismay sought their castles. The bottom had\nsuddenly dropped out from the rebellion and the conspirators were in a\nperilous position. War against the king was impossible, and in haste they\nsent a message to Nils of Hvalstad ordering him to break up the camp on\nthe Tiweden and bidding him to come to them without delay.\n\nWhen he came they asked him what he had done with the letters which had\nbeen put in his care. Not daring to tell that they had been stolen, he\nsaid that he had burnt them on hearing of the result of the Larfva\nmeeting. Another custodian of letters was also sent for and asked the\nsame question. He had really sent his letters to the king, but he\nproduced a budget of papers which he now threw into the fire, telling\nthem that they might be at rest about these perilous papers, which could\nnow never appear against them.\n\nSomewhat relieved in their minds by this act, Mans Bryntesson, Ture\nBjelke, and Nils Winge, three of the leading conspirators, decided to\nremain at home. To become wandering outlaws was too bitter a fate; they\nhad not spoken at Larfva Heath, their letters were burnt, there was no\nevidence against them. But as for Ture Joensson and Bishop Magnus, they\nhad put themselves openly on record. The pretence that the meeting had\nbeen called to test the loyalty of the people would have no weight with a\nman like King Gustavus. To remain would be to risk their lives, and\ncollecting their money and valuables they made all haste to set foot on\nDanish territory, Ture Joensson finally to meet a tragical death in the\ninvasion of Norway by the deposed King Christian, as described in the\npreceding tale.\n\nThe embers of the rebellion were easily extinguished and the nation\nreturned to its peaceful and satisfied condition, the officers of the\nking holding meetings with the malcontents and promising full pardon to\nthose who would confess and renounce their disloyal acts. This offer of\npardon was accepted by nearly the whole of the conspirators, the only\nones who held out being Mans Bryntesson, the mock king, Nils Winge, and\nTure Bjelke. Trusting to their letters having been destroyed they wrote\nto the king, saying that, as they felt entirely guiltless, they could not\nplead guilt and implore pardon, and thus put themselves under suspicion.\nThey begged him to appoint a meeting at which their conduct could be\ninvestigated. This he agreed to, the 17th of June being fixed as the\ndate.\n\nWhen the time came the three lords appeared before the appointed tribunal\nand were exhorted to confess their share in Ture Joensson's rebellion.\nMans Bryntesson answered for the three, boldly declaring:\n\n\"We did not venture to set ourselves against Ture Joensson on account of\nhis great influence in the province; we often heard him speak\ndisrespectfully of the king, but we bore with him in this for the sake of\namusement, attributing it to his old age and childishness. But it can\nnever be shown that we bore any share in his treason.\"\n\n\"What will you venture that this cannot be proved against you?\" asked the\nking.\n\n\"Our neck to the sword and our bodies to the wheel, as the law exacts,\"\nthey confidently replied.\n\n\"Take care,\" said one of the counsellors. \"Do not venture so much.\nPerhaps you may yet be found guilty.\"\n\nThey replied by a haughty \"No,\" and insisted on their innocence. Gustavus\nthen spoke again, his gaze now stern and threatening:\n\n\"Choose one of these two. Either to confess yourselves guilty and accept\npardon, or to be tried and condemned according to law.\"\n\n\"We choose to be judged according to the law,\" they replied; \"and if we\nbe found partakers in this rebellion we will willingly suffer and pay for\nit, as may be adjudged against us.\"\n\nThese words, and the stern dignity of the king, impressed all in the\nhall. Complete silence reigned and all eyes were fixed on his face. He\ngave a signal to his servants and two boxes were carried in. These were\nopened and a number of letters were produced. The king asked the culprits\nif they recognized these letters. This they stoutly denied. Then a number\nof them were read aloud and complete proof of their complicity in the\nrebellion was shown, the judges recognizing the hand and seal of the\ndefendants.\n\nPale and thunderstruck, they listened tremblingly to the reading of the\nfatal letters; then fell upon their knees, weeping and imploring mercy.\nTheir repentance came too late. The king bade the council to examine into\nthe matter at once and pronounce sentence. This was that the three\ncriminals should suffer the fate which they had declared themselves ready\nto bear; they were condemned as traitors and sentenced to loss of life\nand estate.\n\nThe trembling culprits were taken to a room above the school-house,\nlocked in and a strong guard set before the door. Here they were left to\nthe contemplation of their coming fate. Despairingly they looked around\nfor some means of escape, and a shade of hope returned when they fancied\nthey had discovered one. There were no bars to their window, but it was\nfar above the ground. But beneath it stood a pear tree, so near the\nbuilding that they thought they might leap into its branches and climb\ndown its trunk to the ground.\n\nWaiting until night had fallen, they prepared to make the effort, Mans\nBryntesson being the first to try. He missed the tree and fell to the\nground, breaking his leg in the fall. The others, seeing his ill fortune,\ndid not venture to follow. In great pain he crept from the garden into an\nadjoining field. Here his strength gave out and he lay hidden in the\nhalf-grown rye.\n\nMissed the next morning, his trail through the grass was easily followed\nand he was found and carried back to prison. Soon after the prisoners\nwere taken to Stockholm, where Mans Bryntesson and Nils Winge were\nbeheaded and their bodies exposed on the wheel. Their estates, however,\nwere restored to their widows and children. The third, Ture Bjelke, being\nless guilty, was pardoned, but was obliged to pay heavy penalties for his\ntreasonable acts. And thus, with the death of these two criminals and the\nexile of two others, ended the West Gothland insurrection.\n\n\n\n\n_THE LOVE AFFAIRS OF KING ERIK._\n\n\nWe have written much of war and bloodshed; a chapter devoted to the\nlighter themes of courtship and marriage may here be of interest,\nespecially as it has to do with the love affairs of princes and\nprincesses, kings and queens, personages whose every movement are deemed\nby many worthy the world's attention.\n\nPrince Erik, the eldest son of King Gustavus, grew in due course of time\nto marriageable age and, as young men will, began to look about for a\nwife. His thoughts first turned towards the Princess Elizabeth, of\nEngland, then in the height of her youthful charms, of which exaggerated\naccounts were brought to the ardent young Swede.\n\nWhen Erik sought his father's consent to the suit, saying that it might\nbring him not only a lovely bride but the throne of two kingdoms, the\nprudent old monarch threw cold water on the project, saying:\n\n\"Even if Erik should gain Elizabeth, which I do not think likely, in view\nof her many suitors, it would be more to the harm than the profit of both\nkingdoms.\"\n\nBut Erik, a high-tempered and passionate youth, with a tendency to\nsomething like madness, became so violent and determined that his father\nat length gave way and a lover's embassy was sent to England to ask for\nthe fair lady's hand. But Princess Elizabeth was too much beset with\nlovers to accept any of them easily, and the embassy returned with the\nanswer that the royal English maiden was in no haste to marry and\nconsidered an unmarried life the happier.\n\nIn 1558 Queen Mary died and Elizabeth mounted to the throne which she was\nlong to adorn. This added to Erik's passionate desire to win her. One of\nhis agents, Dionysius Beurreus, remained in London, where he lived in\ngreat display, keeping open table at Erik's expense, and sending in all\nhaste to the ardent prince every kind word which the crafty Elizabeth let\nfall. Credulous in his ardent passion, Erik now felt sure of winning the\nqueenly maiden's hand, and sent a second embassy to England, his brother\nJohn going with it.\n\nPrince John was sumptuously equipped for the journey, the expenses of the\ncourtship eating deeply into the king's revenues, and being added to by\nErik's lavishness, for he was now so sure of the success of his suit that\nhe ordered a hundred dresses of the most expensive and splendid kind to\nbe made for him at Antwerp.\n\nWhen John reached London he was courteously received by the queen, but he\nfound it impossible to bring her to a definite answer. If she ever\nmarried, of course she would be happy to win so charming a spouse as\nPrince Erik, but it was hard to marry a man she had never seen, and the\nidea of marriage was not to her taste. In the end Elizabeth wrote to\nGustavus begging him to seek another bride for his son, as she had\ndecided to live unmarried.\n\nThis should have ended the matter, but it did not. One of the lover's\nagents had said that the queen of England would never consent unless Erik\nin person were able to win her heart, and Prince John reported her as\nsaying that, \"though she had no desire for marriage, she could not answer\nwhat she might do if she saw Erik himself.\"\n\nFired by the baits held out to his eager heart, Erik determined to go\nhimself to England, but incognito, disguised as the servant of some\nforeign lord. Thus he would see and conquer the coy maiden queen. The\nwarnings and expostulations of his friends failed to move him from this\nromantic project, but at length it reached the king's ears, and he\nstrictly forbade the wild-goose project as hazardous and undignified.\nErik, however, finally got his father's permission to visit England and\nmake his suit to the queen in his own person. But there were many\npostponements of the journey, and when finally he left Stockholm to begin\nthe voyage to England the shock of his departure threw the old king into\na serious illness. That afternoon Gustavus went to bed, never to rise\nagain, and before Erik had left the kingdom word was brought him that his\nfather was dead. This definitely changed the situation and thus it came\nabout that Erik never saw Elizabeth.\n\nThe fact of his being king, indeed, did not put an end to his desire to\npossess the English queen. In 1561 he determined to visit her as a king,\nand on the 1st of September set sail. But the elements were not\npropitious to this love errand, a violent storm arising which forced the\ncaptains to run back to harbor. Then he decided to go overland, through\nDenmark, Holland, and France, but while he was laying his plans for this\njourney, an effort was made by certain love emissaries to turn his\nthoughts towards Mary Stuart, the widow of a French king and heiress of\nthe throne of Scotland. He listened to these representatives and was so\npleased with their description of Mary's charms that his single-minded\ndevotion to Elizabeth was shaken.\n\nThe loveliness of Mary Stuart was a strong inducement to the young king,\nbut the high estate of Elizabeth was a greater one, and he did not cease\nhis efforts to win her hand. Being told that the chief obstacle in his\nway was the handsome Earl of Leicester, he grew violently jealous of this\nfavored courtier. He at first challenged him to mortal combat, but as\nthis could not conveniently be carried out, he secretly bade his agent in\nLondon to hire an assassin to deal with the earl, promising protection\nand a rich reward to the murderer. This villainy the agent refused to\nperform, and Erik now, hoping to frighten Elizabeth to give him a\nfavorable answer, spread a report in England that he was courting the\nScottish queen. The effect was different from what he anticipated, for\nElizabeth at once positively rejected his suit and all seemed at an end.\n\n[Illustration: ARMORY AND COSTUME HALL OF THE ROYAL MUSEUM, SWEDEN.]\n\nAbout this time a third lady fair came into the game. Erik was told of\nthe charms and rare character of the Princess Renata of Lotringen,\ngranddaughter of the late Christian of Denmark, and at once opened\nnegotiations for the hand of this princess. At the same time the crafty\nElizabeth pretended to relent and Erik was again on fire for her hand.\nThus he had now three love projects under way, from two of which, those\nfor Mary Stuart and Princess Renata, favorable answers were returned.\n\nBut the volatile lover, before receiving these answers, had added a\nfourth string to his bow of courtships, having decided to propose for the\nPrincess Christina of Hesse. By this time he had spent on his threefold\ncourtship vast sums of money and had gone far towards making himself the\nlaughing-stock of Europe.\n\nErik's new course of love did not run smooth. The fates seemed against\nhim in his marriage projects. His first proposal for Christina, indeed,\nreceived a favorable reply and it was decided that the selected bride\nshould arrive at Stockholm in the following May, some eight months later.\nBut other emissaries whom he sent in February were detained in Denmark,\nand on some weak pretence were seized and imprisoned, the whole being a\nruse of King Frederick to prevent a marriage between Erik and the\nPrincess of Hesse, of which for political reasons he did not approve.\nThere was peace at that time with Denmark, but these events presaged war.\n\nMay at length arrived and Erik equipped a fleet to meet the promised\nbride. There were twelve men-of-war, which were got ready for fighting if\nnecessary, James Bagge, a famous seaman of those days, being admiral of\nthe Elephant, with command of the fleet. The assigned purpose of the\nexpedition was to bring the bride over from Luebeck, but it is said that\nAdmiral Bagge had secret orders to seek and attack the Danish fleet, and\nthus punish King Frederick for his treachery.\n\nThe two fleets met on May 30 off Bornholm, and the Danish ship Hercules\nimmediately opened fire. This fire was at once returned and a fierce\nfight ensued that lasted five hours, and resulted in the capture of the\nHercules and two other ships and the flight of the rest. The Swedes now\nsailed on to Luebeck, whence ambassadors were sent to Hesse to bring back\nthe bride. They returned in two weeks without her, the excuse being that\nher trousseau was not ready. The truth was that the landgrave of Hesse\nwas afraid to trust his daughter in the turbulent north, from which\ntidings of the naval battle had just come.\n\nThis delay was fatal to Erik's hopes, mainly through his own fault. The\nfirst succeeding step was a request from the landgrave for a safe conduct\nfor his daughter through Denmark. Frederick, who dreaded ill results\nfrom the marriage, refused this, and also refused to let ambassadors to\nHesse pass through his kingdom.\n\nAnd now Erik spoiled all by his faithless versatility. On the 11th of\nOctober he sent an order to some agents of his in Germany to proceed to\nHesse with a betrothal ring, worth six thousand thalers, for the\nprincess. Four days later he wrote a letter to Queen Elizabeth, saying\nthat his addresses at the court of Hesse had never been serious, and that\nhe still loved and hoped to win her.\n\nBefore this was sent actual war with Denmark had broken out, and to\nprevent the discovery of the letter, he concealed it in a stick and sent\nit by a secret messenger. This messenger was captured by a privateer and\ncarried to Copenhagen; in some way his mission was suspected and the\nletter found; and the Danish king, in ecstasies at his discovery,\ndespatched the incriminating love-missive immediately to the landgrave of\nHesse.\n\nAll was going well there when the letter arrived. The landgrave had\nfavorably received Erik's emissaries and the prospects of their returning\nwith the bride seemed fair, when the unlucky letter was put into his\nhands. It fell like a thunderbolt. In a rage at seeing himself and his\ndaughter thus made sport of, the landgrave ordered the Swedes to leave\nthe town before sunset, under peril of his high displeasure. This ended\nthe suit for the fair maiden's hand, later ambassadors sent by Erik were\ndismissed with contempt, and through having too many irons in the fire\nat once the love-sick lord of Sweden found himself without a bride.\n\nHis brother, Duke John, was more fortunate, though his courtship also led\nto war and his marriage brought him into dismal misfortune. Before\ncompleting the story of Erik's love affairs, the episode of John's\nmatrimonial venture, with its dire results, may fitly be told.\n\nA marriage had long been arranged between Duke John and Princess\nCatharine, sister of King Sigismund of Poland. But obstacles arose and\nonce more the course of true love did not run smooth. Sigismund had an\nolder sister Anna, whom he wished married first; but this impediment was\nremoved by an agreement that John's brother Magnus should marry Anna.\n\nNext the czar of Russia proposed for Catharine, but some dispute about\nthe marriage contract brought about a refusal. The result was typical of\nthe rudeness of the times. The Poles had always hated the Russians, and\nto show their contempt for them Sigismund had a white figure dressed in\nsplendid garments and sent to the Russian court, in lieu of the\nlooked-for bride. Mad with rage at this bitter insult, the czar invaded\nand cruelly ravaged Poland, the people, as is so often the case, being\nmade to suffer for the quarrels and the folly of the kings. From that\ntime forward the czar hated Sigismund and John, his fortunate rival.\n\nJohn also had difficulty in getting his brother's consent to go to\nSigismund's court, and after he had set out an envoy was sent after him\nordering him to return. But in disregard of this he went on, and was\nfavorably received at the Polish court, being a handsome, courteous and\ncultivated prince. Catharine was highly pleased with him, but King\nSigismund now repeated his demand that he should marry the elder sister.\n\nFinally, after many efforts to change the king's mind, he asked Catharine\nif she really desired to marry John. The princess blushed and was silent;\nbut her sister spoke for her and implored their brother not to prevent\nher marriage with the man she loved.\n\nAt this appeal he gave way and the marriage was quickly solemnized, for\nthere was imminent peril of war between Sweden and Poland unless the\naffair was consummated. A body of Polish troops escorted the newly wedded\ncouple into Livonia, lest the angry czar should seek to carry them off,\nand John reached Sweden with his bride.\n\nHe was very ill received, by Erik's orders, and hastened to his own\nduchy, whence he sent an invitation to the king to attend his wedding\nbanquet. The king came in another fashion.\n\nAngry at John for disobeying his orders, and fearing him as a possible\naspirant for the throne, Erik cherished evil intentions against his\nbrother. Suspicious and superstitious by nature, he had read in the stars\nthe prediction that a light-haired man would deprive him of the throne,\nand this man he believed to be his newly married brother. He also\nfancied that John had secretly allied himself with Denmark and Poland,\nand there was soon open enmity between the brothers.\n\nThe whole story of what followed is too long to be told here, but seeming\nevidence against John was obtained by the torture of some of his friends\nand he was attacked in his castle and taken prisoner after a two months'\ndefence. Erik ordered his incarceration in a dungeon, but his wife was\noffered a residence with her ladies in one of the king's castles. If she\nwished to accompany him to prison she could take only two of her maids\nwith her.\n\nWhen Catharine heard this she fervently exclaimed:\n\n\"I would rather die than be separated from my husband,\" and fainted away.\n\nWhen she recovered she was asked what she intended to do. Taking her\nbetrothal ring from her finger and holding it up, she said:\n\n\"Read what stands there.\"\n\nThey saw engraved on it, \"_Nemo nisi mors\"_ (none but death).\n\n\"I will stand by it,\" said Catharine. And she did.\n\nThe imprisoned dependents of John, all of whom had shared in his\nresistance to the king, were nearly all condemned to death and executed,\nmore than a hundred bodies being exposed at once at the place of\nexecution. That John would suffer the same fate was highly probable. His\nbrothers, sisters, and other relatives implored Erik to let him live;\nhis enemies advised his execution; the king hesitated, and postponed his\ndecision, finally deciding that John might live, but in perpetual\nimprisonment. He was mildly and kindly treated, however, and four years\nlater, during a spasm of fraternal feeling in Erik, was released.\n\nWe shall not tell the remaining story of King Erik, of his wars, his\ntemporary madness, his violence and cruelty to some of the noblest of the\nsons of Denmark, his ruthless persecution and final murder of the Stures,\ndescendants of one of the most famous families of Sweden and men who had\nplayed a great part in its history. It was the story of his love episodes\nwith which we set out and these were not yet ended. Erik finally got a\nwife and a queen, though not a queen or a princess for a wife. Love\ninstead of policy lay at the basis of his final courtship.\n\nThis is the story of the final and real love affair of this suitor of\nprincesses and queens. A soldier named Magnus, of peasant birth, who rose\nto the rank of corporal in Erik's life-guard, had a daughter named\nKatrina or Catherine, shortened to Karin, who as a child sat selling nuts\nin the market-place at Stockholm. Here Erik one day saw her, then about\nthirteen, and was so struck by her great beauty that he had her placed\namong the maids-of-honor of his sister Elizabeth.\n\nThe pretty little Karin was quick to learn her duties, and in deportment\nwas modest and very loveable. Her beauty also grew with her age, until\nshe became looked upon as the fairest of the fair. Erik thought her such\nand grew greatly attached to her, showing her much attention and winning\nher regard by his handsome face and kindly manner. In fact she grew to\nlove him dearly and gave herself up entirely to him, a warm affection\nexisting between them.\n\nKarin in time became everything to the king. He no longer sought for a\nbride in foreign courts, no other women had attraction for him, and at\nlength, when the charming peasant girl had borne him a son, he determined\nto find a way to make her his queen. Those were days when it was not safe\nto meddle with the love affairs of a king. One unfortunate young man\nnamed Maximilian, who had loved Karin and sought her hand in marriage,\none day intruded into the women's apartment of the palace, where he was\nseized. Erik, burning with jealousy, had him condemned on a false\npretence, sewed up in a bag, and cast into the lake.\n\nAfter that no one dared interfere with the love episode of Erik and\nKarin. Men said she had bewitched him by a love-philter. Some of the\ncourtiers who feared her influence upon the king sought to disgrace her,\nwith the result that her intercession alone saved their lives from the\nincensed monarch.\n\nErik's love for Karin never seemed to change. On beautiful summer\nafternoons, when he would sail with a merry party on Lake Malar, Karin\nwas always of the party and the object of his tender attention. As they\nrowed home at night he would sit beside her, contemplating the beauty of\nthe starry northern skies and listening to the songs from the shore or\nfrom distant boats. These were executed by his orders, the words and\nmusic often being his. One of these songs, in which he praises his\n\"Shepherdess,\" promises to love her forever, and bids her a \"thousand\ngood-nights,\" is still extant.\n\nThe time at length came--this was after the period of his foreign wars\nand his insanity--that he asked permission of the legislative body to\nmarry whom he pleased, at home or abroad. After this was given he\nprivately married Karin, and subsequently determined upon a public\ncelebration of his marriage and her coronation as queen. The chief\nfamilies of the country were invited to the ceremony, but they neither\ncame nor sent excuses. The coronation went on, notwithstanding, and the\npeasant's daughter Karin became queen of Sweden as Queen Catherine.\n\nNot alone by this marriage, but in a dozen other ways King Erik had made\nenemies and he was now near the end of his career. A rebellion soon broke\nout against him, headed by Duke John, who had some time before been\nliberated, and by his younger brother Duke Charles. Though Erik fought\nwith skill and courage, the insurrection was successful, he being taken\nprisoner and losing the throne. John was chosen to succeed him as king.\n\nErik spent the remainder of his life in prison, where he was far more\nharshly treated than John had been by him, his greatest consolation being\nwhen his wife and children were permitted to visit him. After eight years\nof this close confinement John, fearful of an attempt at the release of\nthe captive, had him poisoned in his cell. Thus ended the career of the\nelder son of Gustavus Vasa. It was a fate which he had brought upon\nhimself by the cruelties of his career.\n\nA few well-deserved words may well be given to Queen Catherine. She had\nnever interfered in Erik's government, except to restrain him from\ncruelty. Her mildness of disposition won her favor on all sides, which\nwas increased by her loving devotion to him while in prison. After his\ndeath she was granted an estate in Finland, and there she lived, loved\nand esteemed by all who knew her and winning the warm devotion of her\nchildren and grandchildren. She survived to a good old age, withdrawn but\nhappy, and the memory of her virtues and benevolence still lives among\nthe peasantry of the neighborhood of her abode.\n\n\n\n\n_GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS ON THE FIELD OF LEIPSIC._\n\n\nWith the accession to the throne of Sweden in 1611 of Gustavus Adolphus,\ngrandson of Gustavus Vasa, that country gained its ablest king, and the\nmost famous with the exception of the firebrand of war, Charles XII., of\nlater date. For courage, judgment, administrative ability, generous\ndevotion to the good of his country, and military genius this great\nmonarch was unequalled in his time and won a renown which has placed his\nname in the roll of the great rulers of mankind.\n\nThe son of Charles IX., the third and ablest son of Gustavus Vasa to fill\nthe throne, he was carefully educated in all the lore of his time and\nwhen a boy of sixteen won a brilliant victory over a Danish invading\narmy. During the same year he ascended the throne, his father dying on\nNovember 30, 1611.\n\nDuring the preceding reigns Sweden had taken a prominent part in the\naffairs of northern Europe, having frequent wars with Russia, Poland, and\nDenmark, and the young king fell heir to these wars, all of which he\nprosecuted with striking ability. But a conflict soon broke out that\nthreatened all Europe and brought Sweden into the field as the arbiter of\ncontinental destinies. This was the famous \"Thirty Years' War,\" the\ngreatest and most ferocious religious war known in history. Into it\nSweden was drawn and the hand of Gustavus was potent in saving the\nProtestant cause from destruction. The final event in his career, in\nwhich he fell covered with glory on the fatal field of Lutzen, is dealt\nwith in the German \"Historical Tales.\" We shall here describe another\nequally famous battle of the war, that of Leipsic.\n\nIt was in 1629, when Denmark was in peril from the great armies of\nFerdinand II. of Austria, and Sweden also was threatened, that Gustavus\nconsented to become the champion of the Protestants of northern Europe,\nand in June, 1630, he landed in Pomerania at the head of eight thousand\nmen. Here six Scottish regiments joined him, under the Duke of Hamilton,\nand he marched onward, taking towns and fortresses in rapid succession\nand gaining large reinforcements from the German states.\n\nThree great leaders headed the Austrian armies, the famous Wallenstein,\nthe able but ferocious Tilly, and the celebrated cavalry leader\nPappenheim. All these skilled soldiers Gustavus had to face alone, but he\ndid so with the support of the best-drilled army then in Europe, a body\nof soldiery which his able hands had formed into an almost irresistible\nengine of war.\n\nWhat spurred Gustavus to the great battle to be described was the capture\nby Tilly on May 20, 1631, of the city of Magdeburg, and the massacre of\nits thirty thousand citizens, men, women, and children. From this scene\nof frightful outrage and destruction Tilly failed to call off his men\nuntil the city lay in ruins and its people in death. A tall, haggard,\ngrim warrior, hollow-cheeked, and wild-looking, with large bright eyes\nunder his shaggy brows, Tilly looked capable of the deeds of ferocity\nwith which the world credited him.\n\n[Illustration: STATUE OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS.]\n\nWhile all Christendom shuddered with horror at the savage slaughter at\nMagdeburg, the triumphant Tilly marched upon and captured the city of\nLeipsic. Here he fixed his headquarters in the house of a grave-digger,\nwhere he grew pale at seeing the death's-head and cross-bones with which\nthe owner had decorated his walls. These significant emblems may have had\nsomething to do with the unusual mildness with which he treated the\ncitizens of that town.\n\nThe cause of Protestantism in Germany was now in serious jeopardy and\nGustavus felt that the time had come to strike a hard blow in its behalf.\nThe elector of Saxony, who had hitherto stood aloof, now came to his aid\nwith an army of eighteen thousand men, and it was resolved to attack\nTilly at once, before the reinforcements on the way to join him could\narrive. These statements are needful, to show the momentous import of the\ngreat battle of September 7, 1631.\n\nIn the early morning of that day the two armies came face to face, Tilly\nhaving taken a strong and advantageous position not far from Leipsic,\nwhere he hoped to avoid a battle. But he was obliged, when the enemy\nbegan to move upon him, to alter his plans and move towards the hills on\nhis left. At the foot of these his army was drawn up in a long line,\nwith the artillery on the heights beyond, where it would sweep the\nextensive plain of Breitenfeld in his front. Over this plain the Swedes\nand Saxons advanced in two columns, towards a small stream named the\nLober, which ran in Tilly's front.\n\nTo prevent this crossing Pappenheim had early moved at the head of two\nthousand cuirassiers, a movement which Tilly reluctantly permitted,\nthough strictly ordering him not to fight. Disregarding this order\nPappenheim charged the vanguard of the Swedes, only to find that he had\nmet an impregnable line and to be driven back in disorder. To check\npursuit he set fire to a village at the crossing-point, but this had no\neffect upon the movement of the advancing troops nor his own disorderly\nretreat.\n\nThe army of Gustavus was organized for the coming battle in the following\nmanner. On the right the Swedes were drawn up in a double line; the\ninfantry being in the centre, divided into small battalions that could be\nrapidly manoeuvred without breaking their order; the cavalry on the\nwings, similarly drawn up in small squadrons, with bodies of musketeers\nbetween; this being done to make a greater show of force and annoy the\nenemy's horse. On the left, at a considerable distance, were the Saxons.\n\nIt was the defeat of Pappenheim which obliged Tilly to abandon his first\nstrong position and draw up his army under the western heights, where it\nformed a single extended line, long enough to outflank the Swedish army;\nthe infantry in large battalions, the cavalry in equally large and\nunwieldy squadrons; the artillery, as stated, on the slopes above. The\nposition was one for defence rather than attack, for Tilly's army could\nnot advance far without being exposed to the fire of its own artillery.\nEach army numbered about thirty-five thousand men.\n\nThese forces were small in view of the momentous nature of the struggle\nbefore them and the fact that two great generals, both hitherto\ninvincible, were now to be matched in a contest on which the fate of the\nwhole war largely depended and to which the two parties battling for the\nmastery looked forward with fear and trembling. But of the two, while\nGustavus was cool and collected, Tilly seemed to have lost his usual\nintrepidity. He was anxious to avoid battle, and had formed no regular\nplan to fight the enemy when forced into it by Pappenheim's impetuous\ncharge. \"Doubts which he had never before felt struggled in his bosom;\ngloomy forebodings clouded his ever-open brow; the shade of Magdeburg\nseemed to hover over him.\"\n\nThe lines being ready for action, King Gustavus rode to the centre of his\nfront, reined in his horse, took off his hat, and with the sword in his\nright hand lowered to the ground, offered in a loud voice the following\nprayer:\n\n\"Almighty God, Thou who holdest victory and defeat in the hollow of Thine\nhand, turn Thine eye unto us Thy servants, who have come from our\ndistant homes to fight for freedom and truth and for Thy gospel. Give us\nvictory for the honor of Thy holy name. Amen!\"\n\nThen, raising his sword and waving it over his head, he commanded:\n\n\"Forward in the name of the Lord!\"\n\n\"God with us!\" was the battle-cry as the Swedes, inspired by his words,\nprepared for the fatal fray.\n\nThe battle, which had lulled after the defeat of Pappenheim, was now\nresumed with the thunder of the cannon, which continued for two hours,\nthe west wind meanwhile blowing clouds of smoke and dust from ploughed\nand parched fields into the faces of the Swedes. To avoid this they were\nwheeled to face northwards, the movement being executed so rapidly and\nskilfully that the enemy had no time to prevent it.\n\nThe cannonading ending, Tilly left the shelter of the heights and\nadvanced upon the Swedes. But so hot was their fire that he filed off\ntowards the right and fell impetuously upon the Saxons, whose ranks\nquickly broke and fled before the fierce charge. Of the whole force of\nthe elector only a few regiments held their ground, but these did so in a\nnoble manner that saved the honor of Saxony. So confident now was Tilly\nof victory that he sent off messengers in all haste to Munich and Vienna\nwith word that the day was his.\n\nHe was too hasty. The unbroken army of Sweden, the most thoroughly\ndrilled body of soldiers then in Europe, was still to be dealt with.\nPappenheim, who commanded the imperial left, charged with his whole\nforce of cavalry upon the Swedish right, but it stood against him firm as\na rock. Here the king commanded in person, and repulsed seven successive\ncharges of the impetuous Pappenheim, driving him at last from the field\nwith broken and decimated ranks.\n\nIn the meantime Tilly, having routed the small remnant of the Saxons,\nturned upon the left wing of the Swedes with the prestige of victory to\nanimate his troops. This wing Gustavus, on seeing the repulse of his\nallies, had reinforced with three regiments, covering the flank left\nexposed by the flight of the Saxons.\n\nGustav Horn commanded here, and met the attack with a spirited\nresistance, materially aided by the musketeers who were interspersed\namong the squadrons of horse. While the contest went on and the vigor of\nthe attack was showing signs of weakening, King Gustavus, having put\nPappenheim to rout, wheeled to the left and by a sharp attack captured\nthe heights on which the enemy's artillery was planted. A short struggle\ngave him possession of the guns and soon Tilly's army was being rent with\nthe fire of its own cannon.\n\nThis flank attack by artillery, coming in aid of the furious onset of the\nSwedes, quickly threw the imperial ranks into confusion. Hitherto deemed\ninvincible, Tilly's whole army broke into wild disorder, a quick retreat\nbeing its only hope. The only portion of it yet standing firm was a\nbattalion of four veteran regiments, which had never yet fled the field\nand were determined never to do so.\n\nClosing their ranks, they forced their way by a fierce charge through the\nopposing army and gained a small thicket, where they held their own\nagainst the Swedes until night, when only six hundred of them remained.\nWith the retreat of this brave remnant the battle was at an end, the\nremainder of Tilly's army being then in full flight, actively pursued by\nthe Swedish cavalry, which kept close upon their tracks until the\ndarkness of night spread over the field.\n\nOn all sides the bells of the villages pealed out the tidings of the\nvictory, and the people poured forth in pursuit of the fleeing foe,\ngiving short shrift to the unhappy fugitives who fell into their hands.\nEleven thousand of Tilly's men had fallen and more than five thousand,\nincluding the wounded, were held as prisoners. On the other side the\nSaxons had lost about two thousand, but of the Swedes only about seven\nhundred had fallen. The camp and artillery of the enemy had fallen into\nthe hands of Gustavus, and more than a hundred standards had been taken.\nThe rout was so complete that Tilly had left with him only about six\nhundred men and Pappenheim less than fifteen hundred. Thus was destroyed\nthat formidable army which had long been the terror of Germany.\n\nAs for Tilly himself, chance alone left him his life. Exhausted by his\nwounds and summoned to surrender by a Swedish captain of horse, he\nrefused. In an instant more he would have been cut down, when a pistol\nshot laid low the Swede. But though saved in body, he was lost in spirit,\nutterly depressed and shaken by the defeat which had wiped out, as he\nthought, the memory of all his past exploits.\n\nThough he recovered from his wounds, he never regained his former\ncheerfulness and good fortune seemed to desert him, and in a second\nbattle with Gustavus on the Lech he was mortally wounded, dying a few\ndays later.\n\nAs for Gustavus, he had won imperishable renown as a military leader. All\nGermany seemed to lie open before him and it appeared as if nothing could\nprevent a triumphant march upon Vienna. He had proved himself the ablest\ncaptain and tactician of the age, his device of small, rapidly moving\nbrigades and flexible squadrons being the death-blow of the solid and\nunwieldy columns of previous wars. And his victory formed an epoch in\nhistory as saving the cause of Protestantism in Germany.\n\nThe emperor, in despair, called again into his service the disgraced and\ndisgruntled Wallenstein, granting him extraordinary powers. But this\ngreat captain also was beaten by Gustavus on the field of Lutzen, where\nthe career of the Swedish hero came to an untimely end. His renown as a\ngreat soldier will live long in history.\n\n\n\n\n_CHARLES X. AND THE INVASION OF DENMARK._\n\n\nWhen Charles X., nephew of Gustavus Adolphus, succeeded Christina, the\ndaughter of Gustavus, on the throne, the \"Thirty Years' War\" was at an\nend, but new wars awaited the new king. Sweden had won large possessions\non the southern shores of the Baltic and had become one of the leading\npowers of Europe. But Charles found these southern provinces hard to\nhold, having to battle for them with Russia and Poland.\n\nA worthy successor of his great uncle, Charles showed his warlike ability\nby a rapid march into Poland and the overthrow of its army by a three\ndays' battle at Warsaw. But his progress was checked by a new and dark\ncloud which appeared upon the sky. Suddenly and unexpectedly, on the 2d\nof May, 1657, Denmark declared war against Sweden, and at the same time\nan Austrian army invaded Poland with the purpose of aiding that kingdom\nand destroying the Swedish army.\n\nThis double attack left Charles in a quandary. An able and experienced\nsoldier, who had learned the trade of war in Germany during Queen\nChristina's reign, he was well fitted to deal with one foe, but could not\nreadily cope with two widely separated ones. He therefore determined to\nabandon Poland, though leaving garrisons in its more important cities,\nand devote his attention to Denmark. This Danish war had much in it of\ninterest, and showed that the new Swedish king had been taught in the\nbest school of the military art.\n\nFrederick III. of Denmark had declared war without making preparations\nfor it, fancying that Charles would be forced to remain with his army in\nPoland and that he would have abundant time to act. He quickly learned\nhis mistake. With an army of eight thousand well-trained veterans Charles\nmarched at all speed from Poland, and a few months after war was declared\nstood with his compact little army on Denmark's shores.\n\nTaken by surprise, the Danish general, Bilbe, retreated hastily northward\nand the whole peninsula of Jutland was quickly overrun by the Swedes.\nBilbe had much the larger army, but they were mainly raw recruits, and he\ndared not face the veterans of the Thirty Years' War. The Danes had\nprojected an invasion of Sweden, for which they had been deliberately\npreparing, and were overwhelmed to find their army in retreat and a force\nof six thousand men closely besieged in the Fredericia fortress. A night\nattack by General Vrangel won this stronghold for the Swedes, with its\ngarrison and a large amount of arms and provisions.\n\nSo far the movement of Charles had been brilliantly successful, but his\nposition was very dangerous. Enemies were advancing on him from various\nsides, a Polish army having invaded Pomerania, an Austrian army having\nadvanced into Prussia, while the elector of Brandenburg had joined his\nenemies. His ally, England, had promised to aid him with a fleet, but it\nfailed to appear, and the situation was growing daily more critical. From\nhis awkward position he was rescued by a combination of daring and the\nfavoring influences of nature.\n\nThe winter of 1658 proved extraordinarily cold. Never within the memory\nof man had such bitter weather been known. The sea that flowed between\nthe Danish islands was tightly frozen, a natural bridge of ice connecting\nthem with one another and the mainland. With bold resolution King Charles\ndetermined to cross to the island of Fyen.\n\nThe enterprise was full of risk. The ice swayed perilously beneath the\nmarching hosts. At places it broke. But the island shore was safely\nreached, the troops guarding it were beaten, and soon the whole island\nwas in Charles's possession.\n\nBut a more daring and perilous enterprise confronted the king. There was\na broader arm of the sea to cross, the Great Belt, about twelve miles\nwide. The ice was examined and tested by the quartermaster-general, who\nsaid that he would answer with his life for its being strong enough to\nbear the army.\n\nKing Charles heard this tidings with delight, clapping his hands\nenergetically and exclaiming:\n\n\"Now, Brother Frederick, we will converse with each other in good\nSwedish.\"\n\nDahlberg, the quartermaster-general, testified to his confidence by\nriding at the head of the column over the wide field of ice, the army\nfollowing in safety to the coast of Zealand. Meeting with no opposition,\nCharles and his army were soon near Copenhagen, whose fortifications were\nin bad condition, and the danger of losing his capital was so imminent\nthat Frederick was glad to accept the severe terms of peace which Charles\noffered him. These included the surrender of half a dozen Danish\nprovinces to Sweden and the independence of the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp\nfrom Danish control. Denmark had paid sorely for making a declaration of\nwar with no preparation to carry it out.\n\nBut Charles X. was so eager for war that in the end he lost most of what\nhe had gained. He was full of schemes of conquest in Germany, but feared\nthat Denmark might take advantage of his absence with his army to take\nrevenge for her losses. The fleets of Holland were threatening the coasts\nof the Baltic Sea, and Charles sought to make a treaty with Denmark which\nwould close this sea to foreign ships. Denmark refused to enter such an\nalliance and Charles thereupon determined to make a complete conquest of\nthat kingdom.\n\nBreaking without warning the treaty of peace he had recently made, he\nsuddenly landed with an army on the coast of Zealand. By this unwarranted\nand stealthy assault he filled the souls of the Danes with the courage of\ndespair, changed Holland from a secret to an open enemy, and lost the\nmost of his former gains.\n\nThe Danish people, threatened with the loss of their independence, flew\nto arms, determined to defend their country to the last extremity.\nCharles, his army being small, delayed his attack upon Copenhagen, which\nmight easily have been taken by an immediate assault. When he appeared\nbefore it he found all its people converted into armed soldiers, while\nKing Frederick declared that he was ready to die in his capital like a\nbird in its nest. Every soul in the city burned with patriotism, and\nnobles, burghers, and laborers alike manned the walls, while even women\ncould be seen wielding spade and axe in the repair of the neglected\ndefences. When the siege began the citizens made several successful\nsallies against their foes and hope arose in their breasts.\n\nBut their position soon grew critical, the Swedes seizing the castle of\nCronberg and other points commanding the Sound and pushing forward their\nlines until they had possession of the outer works of the city. The great\nweakness of the citizens lay in the absence of provisions, which grew so\nscarce that they would have had to surrender from sheer stress of hunger\nbut for the activity of their allies.\n\nThe Dutch had enlisted in their cause, and a fleet sent from Holland\nunder Admirals Opdam and DeWitte passed Cronberg and other fortifications\nheld by the Swedes, met the Swedish fleet under Admiral Vrangel in the\nSound and fought a bloody battle for the mastery. For six hours the\nthunder of cannon echoed from the neighboring shores, then the Swedes\nwere put to flight and a favoring wind bore the Dutch ships triumphantly\nto the beleagured city, bringing food and help to the half-starved\ndefenders.\n\nTheir coming saved Copenhagen. Charles, baffled in his efforts, drew\nback, and threw up works of defence ten miles from the city. Suddenly the\ntide of fortune had turned and began to run strongly against him. Into\nHolstein pressed an invading army of Austrians, Poles, and\nBrandenburgers. The Swedes were forced to evacuate Jutland. The newly won\nprovinces were ready to revolt. Part of those held in Norway were taken\nby the Danes, and the Swedish garrison in the island of Bornholm was\nannihilated by a sudden revolt of the inhabitants.\n\nWhen winter came and the waters were closed by ice against invading\nfleets, the Swedish king determined to make a vigorous effort to take the\ncity by assault. The attack was made on the night of February 10, 1659,\nGenerals Stenbock and Spane leading a storming party against the\nfortifications. Fortunately for the people, they had information of the\ncoming assault and were fully prepared for defence, and a desperate\nstruggle took place at the walls and in the frozen ditches. The fire of a\nmultitude of cannon served to light up the scene, and the attacking\nSwedes found themselves met with the frantic courage of men and women\nfighting for their homes. A shower of bullets and stones burst upon them,\nmany women taking part, throwing burning brands, and pouring boiling tar\nupon their heads. In the end the Swedes were forced to draw back, leaving\ntwo thousand dead and wounded in the hands of their foes.\n\nRelinquishing his attack upon the city, Charles now turned furiously upon\nthe small islands of Laaland, Falster, Moen, and Langeland, which had\noffended him by supplying provisions for the city, and subjected them to\nall the horrors of invasion by troops to whom every excess of outrage was\nallowed. Yet new misfortunes gathered round him, the peninsula of Fyen\nbeing taken by the allies of Denmark, while the Swedish troops near\nNyberg were attacked and taken prisoners, their commander alone escaping\nin a small boat.\n\nThe intervention offered by the neighboring powers was refused by the\nproud Swedish king, who, surrounded by dangers on all sides, now issued a\ncall for a meeting of the estates of the realm at Gothenburg, while at\nthe same time preparing to invade Norway as a part of the Danish\ndominions. At this interval he was suddenly taken sick and died soon\nafter reaching Gothenburg. A treaty followed with the widowed queen,\nregent of Sweden, and Frederick preserved his realm, though not without\nloss of territory.\n\n\n\n\n_CHARLES XII. THE FIREBRAND OF SWEDEN._\n\n\nOn the 27th of June, 1682, was born one of the most extraordinary of men,\nthe Alexander of modern times, one of those meteors of conquest which\nhave appeared at rare intervals in the history of the world. Grandson\nalike of Charles X. of Sweden and Frederick III. of Denmark, Charles XII.\nof Sweden united in himself all the soldierly qualities of his ancestors,\nhis chief fault being that he possessed them in too intense a degree,\nbeing possessed by a sort of military madness, an overweaning passion for\ngreat exploits and wide-spread conquests. In his career Sweden reached\nits greatest height of power, and with his death it fell back into its\noriginal peninsular status.\n\nHis daring activity began almost with his birth. At seven years of age he\ncould manage a horse, and the violent exercises in which he delighted to\nindulge gave him the vigorous constitution necessary for the great\nfatigues of his later life, while he developed an obstinacy which made\nhim a terror to his advisers in later years.\n\nCharles was extraordinary in the fact that he performed the most\nremarkable of his exploits before he reached the age of manhood, and in a\njust sense may be given the name of the boy conqueror. His mother died\nwhen he was eleven years of age and his father when he was fifteen, his\ngrandmother being appointed regent of the kingdom, with a council of five\nnobles for her advisers.\n\nSweden, when he came to the throne, had risen to a high rank among the\npowers of Europe. In addition to its original dominion, it possessed the\nwhole of Finland, the finest part of Pomerania, on the southern shores of\nthe Baltic, and also Livonia, Carelia, Ingria, Wismar, Viborg, the\nDuchies of Bremen and Verden, and other realms, all of long possession\nand secured by conquest and treaty. But it had dangerous enemies with\nwhom to deal, especially Peter the Great of Russia, then bent on bringing\nhis barbarian dominions into line with the great powers of the continent.\n\nSuch was the inheritance of the fifteen-year-old king, who quickly showed\nthe material of which he was composed. One day in the first year of his\nreign, after reviewing a number of regiments, he was seen by his special\nfavorite, Charles Piper, in a spell of abstraction.\n\n\"May I ask your Majesty,\" said Piper, \"of what you are thinking so\ndeeply?\"\n\n\"I am thinking,\" replied the boy monarch, \"that I am capable of\ncommanding those brave fellows; and I don't choose that either they or I\nshall receive orders from a woman.\"\n\nHe referred in this irreverent and boastful speech to his grandmother,\nthe regent.\n\nHe was crowned on the 24th of December following his father's death, the\nceremony being performed by the archbishop of Upsala. But when the\nprelate, having anointed the prince in the customary manner, held the\ncrown in his hand ready to put it upon the new king's head, Charles took\nit from his hand and crowned himself, his eyes fixed sternly upon the\ndismayed churchman. This act of self-willed insubordination was applauded\nby the people, who also received him with loud acclamations when he rode\ninto Stockholm on a horse shod with silver and with a sceptre in his hand\nand a crown on his head. The oath of fidelity to his people, usual on\nsuch occasions, was not taken, and in fact Charles had no thought of\nbeing faithful to anything but his own ambitious designs and his\nobstinate self-will.\n\nHe soon showed his unfitness for the duties of quiet government. The\nmoney collected by his father was quickly squandered by him, and with the\neagerness of an untutored boy he plunged into every kind of daring\namusement that presented itself, risking his life in break-neck rides,\nmock fights, bear hunts, and other dangerous sports and exercises. He\nalso gave much attention to military manoeuvres, his time being spent\nin all sorts of violent activities, with little thought to the duties of\ngovernment, these being confided to his chief friend and confidant,\nCharles Piper.\n\nThe tidings of the manner in which the new king of Sweden occupied\nhimself spread to the neighboring monarchs, who, fancying that they had\nnothing to fear from a frivolous and pleasure-loving boy, deemed this a\ngood opportunity to recover some of the lands conquered from them by the\npreceding Swedish kings. A secret understanding to this effect was\nentered into by Frederick IV. of Denmark, King Augustus of Poland, and\nPeter the Great, czar of Russia, and the ball was opened early in 1700 by\nan invasion of Livonia on the part of the Polish king, while the Danes\nattacked Holstein-Gottorp, ruled by Charles's brother-in-law, taking\nGottorp and laying siege to Tonnigen. Peter of Russia was the most\ndangerous of the three confederates, he being then full of the idea of\nintroducing western civilization among his rude subjects and making\nRussia a sea power. To accomplish this he was eager to gain a foothold on\nthe Baltic by the conquest of Finland.\n\nThe kingly conspirators, who had begun war against Sweden without a\ndeclaration, little dreamed of the hornet's nest they were arousing.\nFilled with consternation, some of the Swedish councillors of state\nproposed to avert the danger by negotiation. Charles, then a youth of\neighteen and of whose real metal no one dreamed, listened to these words\nwith a grave face, and then rose and spoke:\n\n\"Gentlemen, I am resolved never to begin an unjust war, nor ever to end a\njust one but by the destruction of my enemies. My resolution is fixed. I\nwill attack the first that shall declare war against me, and having\nconquered him, I hope I shall be able to strike terror into the rest.\"\n\nThe old councillors were surprised by the resolute demeanor of the young\nking, who seemed suddenly transformed into a man before them. They little\nknew the boy. Familiar with the careers of Alexander and Caesar, he was\ninspired with the ambition to attempt the role of a great conqueror and\nprove himself one of the world's ablest soldiers.\n\nForsaking his favorite sports, he set himself with intense energy to\nprepare for the war which had been precipitated upon him, and sent word\nto the Duke of Holstein that he would speedily come to his assistance,\neight thousand men being at once despatched to Pomerania for this\npurpose. Instantly the natives were stirred up, Central Germany sending\ntroops to reinforce the Danes, while England and Holland sent fleets to\naid Sweden and seek to preserve the balance of power in the north.\n\nSuch were the preliminary steps to Charles's first great campaign, one of\nthe most remarkable in the whole history of war. On the 8th of May, 1700,\nhe left Stockholm, in which city he was never to set foot again. With a\nlarge fleet of Swedish, Dutch, and English vessels he proposed to attack\nCopenhagen, thus striking at the very citadel of Danish power. The\nassault began with a bombardment of the city, but, seeing that this was\nhaving little effect, Charles determined to attack it by land and sea,\ntaking command of the land forces himself.\n\nA landing was made at the village of Humlebek, Charles, in his impatience\nto land, leaping into the water, which came nearly to his waist, and\nwading ashore. Others followed his example, the march through the waves\nbeing made amid a shower of bullets from the enemy. Springing to land,\nthe young king waved his sword joyously above his head and asked Major\nStuart, who reached the shore beside him, what was the whistling sound he\nheard.\n\n\"It is the noise of the musket balls which they are firing at your\nMajesty,\" said the major.\n\n\"That is the very best music I ever heard,\" he replied, \"and I shall\nnever care for any other as long as I live.\"\n\nAs he spoke, a bullet struck the major in the shoulder and on his other\nside a lieutenant fell dead, but Charles escaped unscathed.\n\nThe Danes were soon put to flight and Charles made the arrangements for\nthe encamping of his troops with the skill and celerity of one trained in\nthe art of warfare, instead of a boy on his first campaign and to whom\nthe whistle of a musket ball was a sound unknown. He showed his ability\nand judgment also by the strict discipline he maintained, winning the\ngood will of the peasantry by paying for all supplies, instead of taking\nthem by force in the ordinary fashion of the times.\n\nWhile the camp was being made and redoubts thrown up towards the town,\nthe fleet was sent back to Sweden and soon returned with a reinforcement\nof nine thousand men, who had marched in haste to the shore and were\ndrawn up ready to embark. The Danish fleet looked on at this movement,\nbut was not strong enough to interfere.\n\nThe rapidity with which this invasion had been made struck the people of\nCopenhagen with terror and they sent an embassy to Charles, begging him\nnot to bombard the city. He received them at the head of his guards,\nwhile they fell upon their knees before him. His ultimatum to the\npetitioners was that he would spare the city on the payment of four\nhundred thousand rix-dollars. They were also commanded to supply his camp\nwith provisions, for which he promised they would be honestly paid. They\ndid not dare refuse, and were very agreeably surprised when Charles kept\nhis word and paid good prices for all he got.\n\nCharles now sent word to King Frederick that he had made war only to\nrequire him to make peace, and he must agree to act justly towards the\nDuke of Holstein or the city of Copenhagen would be destroyed and his\ndominions laid waste with fire and sword.\n\nFrederick, utterly taken aback by the warlike vigor of King Charles, was\nvery glad to accept this proposal and thus to escape from the dangerous\nposition in which he had placed himself, and the negotiations were driven\nthrough by Charles with the same abrupt energy he had shown in his\nmilitary movements. In less than six weeks from the beginning of the war\nit was ended and the treaty made, a surprising achievement for the first\ncampaign of an eighteen-year-old warrior. The treaty was favorable to\nFrederick, Charles exacting nothing for himself, but demanding that the\nDuke of Holstein should be repaid the expenses of the war.\n\nThe boy king had reason for haste, for the town of Riga, in his\ndominions, was being invested by a combined army of Russians, Poles, and\nSaxons. The treaty was no sooner signed than he sailed in all haste to\nits relief. It had made a gallant and nearly desperate defence under\nGeneral Dahlberg, but the besiegers did not wait for the impact of\nCharles's army, hastily retreating and leaving the field open to him for\na great feat of arms, the most famous one in his career.\n\nThe town of Narva, in Ingermanland, was then invested by a great Russian\narmy, sixty thousand--some say eighty thousand--strong, the Czar Peter\nbeing in supreme command, the Duc de Croy commanding under him. But the\nunskilled Russians had not proved very successful in the art of\nbesieging, having failed for six weeks to take a city that was very\npoorly fortified and whose governor, Baron Herre, had but a thousand\nregular troops in his garrison.\n\nIt was in mid-November, 1700, that the czar heard that the Swedish king\nhad landed an army of about thirty-two thousand men, and was coming to\nthe relief of Narva. Not content with his great force, Peter hurried\nforward a second army of thirty thousand men, proposing to enclose King\nCharles between these two hordes and hoping thus to annihilate him. He\nreckoned without his host. Charles landed at Pernow and made a forced\nmarch to Reval, followed by his cavalry, fourteen thousand strong, but\nwith only four thousand foot soldiers.\n\nMarching, in his usual ardent manner, in the van of his army, he did not\nwait for the rear, making his way onward by nearly impassable roads and\ncoming before the outposts of the supplementary Russian army with only\neight thousand men. With apparently utter indifference to the vast\ndisproportion in numbers, the Swedish firebrand rushed forward, the\nRussians, not dreaming of such mad temerity, being sure that he had his\nwhole army behind him.\n\nThe advance guard of the Russians, five thousand strong, was posted in a\nrocky pass where a body of a hundred resolute men might have checked the\nprogress of an army, yet it fled in dismay before the onset of the\nSwedes. The twenty thousand men behind them shared their panic and joined\nin their flight, terror and confusion pervading the whole army. In two\ndays' time Charles carried all their posts, winning what might have been\nclaimed as three distinct victories, yet not delaying an hour in his\nadvance. Having thus disposed of the army sent to intercept him, Charles\nmarched with all speed to Narva, leaving his main army still far in the\nrear. With his eight thousand men, exhausted with their long march and\ntheir hard fight, he suddenly appeared before the czar's great force of\nsixty or eighty thousand men and one hundred and fifty cannon.\n\nGiving his weary men scarcely any time for rest, Charles advanced against\nthe Russians with the impetuosity which had so far marked his career. A\ngeneral warned him that the danger was very great.\n\n\"What!\" he replied. \"Do you not think that with my eight thousand brave\nSwedes I may easily beat eighty thousand Russians?\"\n\nWhether the general believed so or not, he did not venture any further\nremonstrances, and, at the signal of two musket shots and the war-cry of\n\"With the aid of God!\" the king and his handful of men marched forwards.\nIt was now about mid-day on the 20th of November, 1700.\n\nA breach being made with their cannon in the Russian works, Charles led\nhis men on with fixed bayonets, a furious snow-fall behind them driving\nfull in the face of the enemy and making their position a very difficult\none. After an engagement of three hours the entrenchments were stormed on\nall sides, the right wing of the Russians fleeing to the Narva and\ncrowding the bridge with its retreating hosts. So dense was the mass that\nthe bridge gave way beneath them, precipitating them into the stream, in\nwhich eighteen thousand of the panic-stricken wretches were drowned. The\nleft wing then broke and fled in utter confusion, so many prisoners being\ntaken that the best the captor could do was to disarm them and let them\ndisperse where they would.\n\nThus ended this extraordinary battle, almost without a parallel in\nhistory and spreading the fame of the victor widely over Europe. For a\nboy little over eighteen years of age to achieve such a feat, defeating\nwith eight thousand men an army of nearly a hundred thousand, raised him\nin men's minds to the level of the most famous conquerors. Unfortunately\nfor himself, it redoubled his self-will and vanity, the adulation given\nhim leading him into a course of wild and aimless invasion that brought\nupon him eventually misfortune and defeat and nearly ruined his kingdom.\n\nHaving disposed of two of the enemies who had plotted his destruction, in\nthe following year Charles advanced against the third, King Augustus of\nPoland, led his victorious army into that kingdom, took Warsaw, its\ncapital city, by storm, and in the battles of Klissov and Pultusk so\nthoroughly overthrew the forces of Augustus that he was forced to give up\nthe throne of Poland and retire into his native dominion of Saxony, a\nPolish noble being proclaimed king in his place. The Swedish conqueror\neven pursued Augustus into Saxony, defeated his armies wherever met, and\nforced him at last to beg humbly for peace.\n\nSuch was the first era of the brilliant career of the young Swedish\nfirebrand of war, who in four years had utterly overthrown his enemies\nand won a reputation for splendid military genius which placed him on a\nlevel, in the opinion of the military critics of the age, with Alexander\nthe Great, whom he had taken as the model of his career.\n\nBut Charles had two great enemies with whom to contend, and as a result\nhis later history was one of decline and fall, in which he lost all that\nhe had won and remained for years practically a prisoner in a foreign\nland.\n\nOne of these enemies was himself. His faults of character--inordinate\nambition, inflexible obstinacy, reckless daring--were such as in the end\nto negative his military genius and lead to the destruction of the great\npower he had so rapidly built up. The other was Czar Peter of Russia. It\nwas unfortunate for the youthful warrior that fate had pitted him against\na greater man than himself, Peter the Great, who, while lacking his\nmilitary ability, had the other elements of a great character which were\nwanting in him, prudence, cool judgment, persistence in a fixed course of\naction. While the career of Charles was one of glitter and coruscation,\ndazzling to men's imaginations, that of Peter was one of cool political\njudgment, backed by the resources of a great country and the staying\nqualities of a great mind. What would have been the outcome of Charles's\ncareer if pitted against almost any other monarch of Russia that one\ncould name it is difficult to imagine. But pitted against Peter the Great\nhe was like a foaming billow hurling itself against an impregnable rock.\n\nWhile it is not our purpose to tell the whole story of the exploits of\nCharles XII., yet his life is so interesting from the point of view of\nmilitary history that a brief epitome of its remainder may be given.\n\nAfter his great victories Charles remained in Saxony, entertaining the\nthrong of princes that sought his friendship and alliance and the crowd\nof flatterers who came to shine in his reflected glory. For six years in\nall he remained in Poland and Saxony, fighting and entertaining, while\nPeter the Great was actively engaged in carrying out the important\npurpose he had in mind, that of extending the dominion of Russia to the\nshores of the Baltic and gaining an outlet on the northern seas. As an\nessential part of his purpose he began to build a new city on the banks\nof the Neva, to serve as a great port and centre of commerce.\n\nIt was long before Charles awakened to the fact that Peter was coming\nthreateningly near to the Swedish territories, and when he finally\nrealized the purpose of his great enemy and set out to circumvent it, he\ndid so without any definite plan. He decided, as Napoleon did a century\nlater, to plunge into the heart of the country and attack its capital\ncity, Moscow, trusting by doing so to bring his enemy to terms. In this\nhe failed as signally as Napoleon did in his later invasion.\n\nIn June, 1708, with an army of forty-three thousand men, Charles crossed\nthe Beresina and soon after met and defeated the Russian army near\nSmolensko. He considered this his most brilliant victory, and, as we are\ntold by Voltaire, Peter now made overtures for peace, to which Charles,\nwith the arrogance of a victor, replied, \"I will treat with the Czar at\nMoscow.\"\n\nHe never reached Moscow, but was constrained to turn southward to the\nUkraine, where he hoped to gain the aid of the Cossacks, under their\nchief, Mazeppa, a bitter enemy of the czar. In this march his men\nsuffered terribly, more than half of them dying from hunger and cold. He\nhad met that same enemy which Napoleon afterwards met in Russia, a winter\nof bitter severity. In the spring he had only about eighteen thousand\nSwedes and about as many Cossacks under his command, but he persisted in\nhis designs. During the wintry cold he had shared in the privations of\nhis men, eating the same coarse food, while his only means of warming his\ntent was to have heated cannon balls rolled along the floor.\n\nThe crisis came in the summer of 1709. Peter, who was keenly on the\nalert, had succeeded in winning to his side the Cossack chiefs, leaving\nMazeppa without any followers. Then he intercepted the Swedish general\nLevenhaupt, who was marching with a new army to the aid of his king, and\noverwhelmed him with an immense force of Russians. Losing all his baggage\nand stores and more than half his men, Levenhaupt succeeded in reaching\nthe king's camp with only six thousand battered and worn soldiers.\n\nCharles had now only eighteen thousand men, and was in such sore need of\nfood and clothing that he laid siege to the city of Pultowa, hoping to\nobtain supplies by its capture. Here he was met by Peter with an army\nthree times his strength, and in the decisive battle that followed\nCharles was wounded and his army utterly defeated, only three thousand\nescaping death or capture. Charles himself narrowly escaped the latter,\nand only by a hazardous and adventurous flight over the steppes reached\nthe town of Bender, in the Turkish realm.\n\n[Illustration: From stereograph, copyright by Underwood and Underwood,\nN.Y. THE RETURN OF CHARLES XII. OF SWEDEN.]\n\nHere the sultan, the bitter enemy of Russia, gave him refuge and treated\nhim with much kindness, though he found the young Swede a very\ntroublesome guest. In fact, at Charles's suggestion, the sultan went to\nwar with Russia and got the czar into such a tight place that he only\nescaped by bribing the Turkish vizier.\n\nInfuriated at his enemy's escape, Charles became so violent and unruly\nthat the sultan tried to get rid of him, giving him large sums of money\nto pay his debts and make preparations to leave. When Charles spent all\nthis and asked for more the sultan grew so angry that he ordered the\narrest of his troublesome guest. It needed an army of men to take him,\nfor he locked himself in his house and fought furiously with the few\nhundred of men under his command. Many Turkish soldiers were killed and\nhe was only captured by setting fire to his house and seizing him as he\nfled from the flames.\n\nThe \"Iron Head,\" as the Turks called him from his obstinacy, was guarded\nin a Turkish village for ten months by a force of Janizaries. Most of\nthis time was spent in bed on pretence that he was dangerously ill. At\nthe end of that time, finding that he could get no more help from the\nTurks, he resolved to escape. Accompanied by two persons only, he rode\nin the incredibly short period of fourteen days from Adrianople through\nAustria, Hungary, and Germany, reaching the Swedish post of Stralsund on\nNovember 7, 1713. Doubtless the sultan was glad to hear of his escape,\nsince he had borne with his restless and unwelcome guest for more than\nfour years.\n\nWhen he came to the gates of Stralsund he presented himself to the guard\nunder the name of Captain Peter Frisch. The guard was long in recognizing\nhim, for he was haggard and worn in face and ragged and dirty in person,\nhaving never changed his clothes and rarely left the saddle, except to\nchange horses, during his long and weary ride.\n\nHis long and needless absence in Turkey had left Sweden exposed to its\nenemies and it had severely suffered, the greater part of its territory\nsouth of the Baltic being seized, while Sweden itself had been attacked\nby the Danes and Saxons and only saved by an army of peasants, so poorly\nequipped and clothed that they were nicknamed the \"Wooden Shoes.\"\n\nAs for Charles, his era of brilliant invasion was over and he was obliged\nto fight in self-defence. When he reached Stralsund it was under siege by\nan army of Russians, Saxons, and Danes. Taking command here, he defended\nit obstinately until the walls were blown up and the outworks reduced to\nashes, when he went on board a small yacht and crossed the Baltic safely\nto Sweden, though a Russian admiral was scouring that sea to prevent his\npassage.\n\nA few words must suffice to complete the story of this remarkable man. He\nfound Sweden largely depleted of men and money and in the new army which\nhe sought to raise he was obliged to take boys of fifteen into the ranks.\nWith these he proposed, in the cold winter of 1716, to invade Denmark by\nleading an army over the Sound to the Danish islands, but a thaw set in\nand put an end to this adventurous project.\n\nThen he invaded Norway, as a part of the Danish realm, and after some\nunsuccessful efforts, laid siege to the fortress of Frederikshald. Here\nthe end of his strange career was reached. On the morning of December 11,\n1718, while leaning over the side of a breastwork and giving directions\nto the men in the trenches, he was seen to stagger, his head sinking on\nhis breast. The officers who ran to his aid found him breathing his last\nbreath. A bullet had struck him, passing through his head and ending his\nremarkable career at the early age of thirty-six.\n\nWith the death of this famous soldier ended the military glory and\ngreatness of Sweden. As a result of his mad ambition and his obstinate\npersistence in Turkey, Sweden lost all the possessions won in previous\nreigns, losing them never to be regained. And with him also vanished the\nabsolute rule of the Swedish kings. For with his death the nobles\nregained their lost influence and drew up a compact in which the crown\nwas deprived of all its overruling control and the diet of the nobles\nbecame the dominant power in the state.\n\n\n\n\n_THE ENGLISH INVADERS AND THE DANISH FLEET._\n\n\nThe Napoleonic wars filled all Europe with tumult and disorder, the\nfar-northern realms of Norway and Sweden and the far-eastern one of\nTurkey alone escaping from being drawn into the maelstrom of conflict.\nDenmark, the Scandinavian kingdom nearest the region of conflict, did not\nescape, but was made the victim of wars with which it had no concern to a\ndisastrous extent.\n\nChristian VII. was then the Danish king, but he was so feeble, both in\nmind and body, that the Crown Prince Frederick was made regent or\njoint-ruler in 1784, and was practically king until his father's death in\n1808, when he came to the throne as Frederick VI. Count Bernstorf was\nminister of foreign affairs and kept Denmark at peace until his death in\n1799, when troubles at once broke out between Denmark and England.\n\nIt was a different state of affairs now from that far-off time of Canute\nand the vikings, when the Danes overran England and a Dane filled its\nthrone. The tide had long turned and Denmark was an almost helpless\nvictim in the hands of the great maritime island, which sought to control\nthe politics of the whole continent during the terrible struggle with\nNapoleon.\n\nFor some years the English made complaints against Denmark, saying that\nit was carrying food and forage into French and German ports in defiance\nof the laws of neutrality. As these laws were of English origin the Danes\ndid not feel inclined to submit to them, and after the death of Bernstorf\nDanish men-of-war were sent to sea to protect their merchant vessels.\n\nQuarrels and hostile feeling arose from this, but the crisis did not come\nuntil the summer of 1800, when Russia, Sweden, and Prussia formed a\ntreaty for an \"armed neutrality\" and invited Denmark to join it. England\nat once took alarm. While the other nations were powerful enough to defy\nher, Denmark was poor and quite unprepared for warlike operations, and\nwhen, in the spring of 1801, a fleet under Admirals Parker and Nelson\nappeared on her waters she was by no means in readiness for such a\ndemonstration.\n\nTaken by surprise as they were, however, the Danes had no thought of\nweakly submitting to this hostile movement, and did their best to prevent\nthe English from passing the Sound. Their chief defence was the fortress\nof Cronberg, near Elsinore, where heavy cannon were mounted to command\nthe narrow strait here separating Sweden and Denmark. But by closely\nhugging the Swedish coast Parker kept beyond the range of these guns, and\nin April, 1801, cast anchor in the harbor of Copenhagen. His fleet\nconsisted of fifty-one vessels, twenty of them being line-of-battle\nships.\n\nAlarmed by the coming of the fleet and taking advantage of the delays in\nits movement, the Danes had made every possible preparation for a\nvigorous resistance. Strong batteries defended the city and an imposing\narray of heavily armed ships, drawn up behind a shoal, presented a\nformidable line of defence.\n\nSome delay took place, against the wish of the fiery Nelson, who was\nsecond in command of the fleet. Nelson was eager for an immediate attack,\nand finally Parker gave way and left the matter in his hands.\n\nNelson was in command of the Elephant, but finding that ship too large\nfor the waters before him he removed his flag to the St. George and led\nthe way to the attack with the smaller vessels of the fleet, Parker\nremaining at anchor some miles distant with the larger vessels.\n\nA fierce and bloody conflict ensued, lasting from four to five hours.\nNelson closed on his foe by getting within the shoal, but he met with a\nstout and vigorous resistance, the Danish seamen, under their able\ncommander Olfert Fischer, fighting with the daring for which their people\nhad been noted in the far past. Three times the aged Fischer left one\nburning ship to hoist his flag on another, and several of the younger\ncaptains fought their ships against Nelson's larger vessels as long as\nthe shattered hulks kept above water.\n\nSo protracted and obstinate was the defence that Parker grew alarmed and\nsignalled Nelson to retreat. This was the last signal to be thought of\nby a man like Nelson and, clapping the glass to his blind eye, he said,\n\"I really do not see the signal,\" and kept on fighting.\n\nNelson was between two fires, that from the shore batteries and that from\nthe ships, and though he destroyed the first line of the Danish defence\nand threatened the capital with serious injury, the batteries were not\nsilenced and the English ships were suffering severely.\n\nHe therefore sent an English officer on shore with a flag of truce,\ndeclaring that unless the Danes on shore ceased firing he would burn the\nships in his hands without being able to save the crews, and pointing out\nthat these crews were the worst sufferers, as they received a great part\nof the fire of both parties.\n\nA suspension of hostilities was agreed upon to permit of the prisoners\nbeing removed, and in the end the crown prince, against the wishes of his\ncommanders, stopped all firing and agreed to discuss terms of peace. Thus\nended a battle which Nelson said was the fiercest and best contested of\nthe many in which he had taken part.\n\nThe peace that followed lasted for several years, and Denmark, freed from\nconnection with the hostilities existing in southern Europe, rapidly\nincreased in trading activity. During these years, indeed, the Danes\nserved as the commerce carriers for the other countries of Europe, and\nthis prosperous state of affairs lasted till 1807, when new troubles\narose and England repeated her violent act of 1801.\n\nThe English government either had, or fancied it had, good grounds for\nsuspecting that Denmark had joined Alexander of Russia in a treaty with\nFrance, and on the plea that the fleet of Denmark might be used in the\ncause of the French emperor, an array of fifty-four ships of war was sent\nto demand its immediate delivery to England.\n\nDenmark was taken more fully by surprise than before. Its army was absent\nin Holstein to guard against an attack which was feared from Germany, and\nCopenhagen was thus left without protection. General Peymann refused to\ncomply with the preposterous demand of the English admiral, whereupon an\narmy of thirty-three thousand men was landed and the city attacked by\nland and sea.\n\nFor three days a fierce bombardment continued, and not until a large\nportion of the almost unprotected city was laid in ashes and the\nremainder threatened with like destruction did the general consent to\nadmit the English troops into the citadel of Frederikshavn.\n\nThe outcome of this brigand-like attack, which had nothing more definite\nthan a suspicion to warrant it, and is ranked in history as of the same\ntype with the burning of Washington some years later, was the seizure of\nthe entire Danish fleet by the assailants. The ships carried off included\neighteen ships-of-the-line, twenty-one frigates, six brigs and\ntwenty-five gunboats, with a large amount of naval stores of all kinds.\n\nThe act was no more warrantable than were the viking descents upon\nEngland centuries before. The latter were the acts of barbarian\nfreebooters, and England, in an age of boasted civilization, put herself\nin the same position. The Danes were nearly crushed by the blow and many\nyears passed away before their bitter resentment at the outrage\ndecreased.\n\n[Illustration: KRONBERG CASTLE ON THE SOUND, DENMARK.]\n\nThe political result of it was that Denmark allied herself with Napoleon,\na measure which gave that unhappy land no small amount of trouble and\ndistress and led in 1814 to the loss of Norway, which for four hundred\nyears had been united with the Danish realm. Norway was handed over to\nSwedish rule, while England took for her share of the spoils the island\nof Heligoland, which she wanted to secure for the command of the Elbe.\nThus the birds of prey gathered round and despoiled the weak realm of\nDenmark, which was to be further robbed in later years.\n\n\n\n\n_A FRENCH SOLDIER BECOMES KING OF SWEDEN AND NORWAY._\n\n\nThe career of Napoleon, which passed over Europe like a tornado, made\nitself felt in the Scandinavian peninsula, where it gave rise to radical\nchanges. In the preceding tale its effect upon Denmark was shown. While\nthe wars which desolated Europe did not reach the soil of Sweden and\nNorway, yet these countries were deeply affected and their relations\ndecidedly changed.\n\nThe work began in 1808 in the obstinate folly of Gustavus IV., who\ndefiantly kept up an active trade with England when Russia and Prussia\nhad closed their ports against British ships. As a result Russia declared\nwar against Sweden, sent an immense army into Finland, and after a\ndesperate struggle compelled the Swedes to evacuate that region. In this\nway Sweden lost a great province which it had held for six hundred years.\n\nThis was one result of a weak king's setting himself against the great\npowers of Europe. By his lack of political good sense and his obstinacy\nSweden lost nearly half its territory and Gustavus lost his throne, for\nthe bitter indignation of the Swedes against him was such that he was\ntaken prisoner by conspirators and forced to sign a deed in which he\nrenounced the throne of Sweden for himself and his descendants. Not a\nhand was raised to help him and he spent the remainder of his life as a\nwandering exile.\n\nIt was this series of events that in time brought a soldier of the French\narmy to the Swedish throne. How this came about is well worth the\ntelling. After the abdication of Gustavus, Duke Charles of Sodermanland\nwas elected king as Charles XIII., and as he had no children, a Danish\nprince was chosen to succeed him.\n\nBut this heir to the throne, Charles Augustus by name, died suddenly the\nnext year. The people believed he had been poisoned, and on the day of\nthe funeral, suspecting the haughty old Count Fersen of his death, they\nseized him and in their fury literally tore him to pieces.\n\nIt was now proposed to take the brother of the deceased prince as heir to\nthe throne, but little could be done in those days without the Corsican\nemperor being consulted about it, and the young Baron Moerner was sent to\nParis to inform Napoleon of what was proposed. The youthful envoy was an\nadmirer of the conqueror, and thinking to please him he suggested that\none of the French generals should be chosen to rule over Sweden.\n\nNapoleon was highly gratified with the suggestion, but when the baron\nnamed Marshal Jean Bernadotte as his choice the emperor was much less\npleased. He would much rather have chosen some one else, Bernadotte being\ntoo independent in character to please him. Difficulties were thrown in\nthe way, but Moerner obtained Bernadotte's consent, and by his argument\nthat Sweden needed an able and experienced soldier to regain its old\npower the Swedish Ricksdag was brought over to his side.\n\nIn the end Napoleon gave his consent, and the marshal was elected Crown\nPrince of Sweden. But the French emperor evidently doubted him still, for\non parting with him he used these significant farewell words: \"Go, then,\nand let us fulfil our several destinies.\" He had reason for his distrust,\nas the events of later years showed.\n\nThis selection ranks with the remarkable instances of the mutations of\nfortune. The new crown prince had begun life as the son of a poor French\nlawyer and in 1780, at the age of sixteen, entered the army as a common\nsoldier. When the wars of the Revolution began he had risen to the rank\nof a sergeant, which was as high as a man of common birth could rise in\nthe old army of France.\n\nBut he made rapid progress in the army of the Revolution, being a man of\ngreat courage and unusual military genius. Under Napoleon, whose\ndiscerning eye no soldier of ability escaped, Bernadotte became one of\nthe most successful of the French generals, was made governor of a\nprovince, ambassador, and minister of war, and had much to do with\nwinning the great victories of Austerlitz, Jena, and Wagram. Finally he\nwas made a marshal of France and prince of Ponte Corvo in Italy.\n\nBut Napoleon had doubts of him. He was too independent. He opposed the\nemperor's ambitious plans and defended the liberties of the people, and\nwas distrusted by the conqueror for other causes. The astute Corsican\nfeared that he would not be the man to reduce Sweden to a province of\nFrance, and the event proved that Napoleon was right.\n\nIt was in 1810 that Crown Prince Bernadotte, who adopted the name of\nCharles John as the title of his new rank, arrived in Sweden with his son\nOscar. The people were delighted with his appearance. A handsome and\nimposing man, with black wavy hair, an eagle nose, keen, penetrating eyes\nand the manner of one accustomed to command, also a clear and eloquent\nspeaker, polished in address and courteous in his dealings with all, they\nfelt that in him they had a true king; while his reputation as one of the\nleading soldiers in Napoleon's great army gave them assurance that, if\nwar should arise, their armies would be ably led.\n\nSweden, when Bernadotte set foot on its soil, was in a helpless state of\ndecadence, having become little better than a dependency of France. If\never it needed a strong ruler then was the time, but Charles XIII. was\nincapable as a monarch, and from the time of his landing the new crown\nprince ruled the country as though there were no king on the throne.\n\nHe at once renounced Catholicism and was admitted into the Lutheran\nchurch, the state religion of Sweden. Proposing to consult the best\ninterests of his new country and not to rule as a vassal of Napoleon, he\nwas indignant when the emperor ordered that Sweden should declare war\nagainst England. In the existing condition of the country he felt\ncompelled to submit, but he secretly advised the British government that\nthe declaration of war was a mere formality and not a gun was fired on\neither side.\n\nHe also made a secret alliance with Alexander of Russia. None of these\nmovements could be made public, for the Swedes were then fervent admirers\nof Napoleon and hoped by his aid to gain the lost province of Finland and\nwin revenge upon Russia, their old enemy. Bernadotte saw farther than\nthey, feeling that the inordinate ambition of Napoleon must lead to his\ndownfall and that it was best for Sweden to have an anchor out to\nleeward. But all these political deals had to be kept from the knowledge\nof the Swedes.\n\nA change in public opinion came when Napoleon, suspecting the loyalty to\nhim of his former marshal, heaped insults upon Sweden, and finally, in\nthe beginning of 1812, invaded Swedish Pomerania, intending by this act\nto frighten the Swedes into submission. Instead, he exasperated them and\nlost their friendship, thus giving Bernadotte the opportunity he had\nawaited.\n\n\"Napoleon has himself thrown down the gauntlet, and I will take it up,\"\nhe said, and at once began to prepare for the struggle which he foresaw.\n\nWith the incitement of the invasion of Pomerania the Crown Prince Charles\nJohn--Prince Karl Johan, as the Swedes called him--began active\npreparations for war. The army was largely increased, new levies being\nraised and arms and equipment purchased, while alliances were made with\nforeign powers. It came as a surprise to the Swedes when the fact leaked\nout that it was not against Russia, but against France, that these\nwarlike movements were being made.\n\nNapoleon now, seeing the state of affairs his injudicious act had brought\nabout, sought to gain the friendship of Sweden, making alluring offers to\nhis late marshal. His change of front came too late. Bernadotte had no\nconfidence in him and came into closer relations with his enemies,\nencouraging the perplexed Alexander to a firm resistance against the\nFrench emperor in the great invasion threatened.\n\nEveryone knows the disastrous end of this invasion. When Napoleon was\nmarching on Moscow Alexander and Charles John met at Abo and a treaty was\nformed in which Sweden was promised recompense for the loss of Finland in\nthe acquisition of Norway, while a friendship sprang up between the two\nwhich lasted till the end of their lives.\n\nEvents now moved rapidly. The Corsican conqueror entered Moscow. It was\nburned and he was forced to retreat. A terrible winter and hostile forces\ndestroyed the Grand Army, only a handful of which escaped. Then came the\ndeath struggle in Germany of the greatest soldier in modern history. On\nevery side his enemies rose against him and in the spring of 1813\nBernadotte joined them with an army of thirty thousand Swedes.\n\nThis army took part in the several battles that followed, and made its\nmark especially at Dennewitz, where Marshal Ney commanded the French.\nBernadotte thought that the Prussians should bear the brunt of this\nbattle, since Berlin was threatened, and for this reason he held the\nSwedes in reserve. But when the right wing of the Prussians was broken,\nNey cheering his soldiers by shouting, \"My children, the victory is\nours!\" he deemed it time to take a hand, and ordered General Cardell, his\nartillery chief, to support the Prussians.\n\nCardell won the day by a brilliant stratagem. He ordered the caissons\ninto line with the guns and deployed his regiments so that they bore the\nappearance of a division of cavalry, the mounted artillerists bearing\ndown upon the French at a gallop, with drawn swords.\n\nFailing to see the guns, and thinking that they had only cavalry to deal\nwith, the French closed their lines and with fixed bayonets awaited the\nSwedes. Suddenly the line halted, the guns were rushed forward and\nreversed, the men sprang to their pieces, and from a long line of\nfrowning cannon poured a fiery hail of grape and canister that tore\nremorselessly through the solid ranks of the French. The results were\nawful: dead and dying strewed the ground; the survivors fled in\nconfusion; that deadly volley turned the day in favor of the French, and\nNey and his braves were forced to make a hasty retreat.\n\nIn the great battle of Leipsic no section of the Swedish army but the\nartillery took part. When the English agent, Sir C. Stewart, sought by\nthreats to drive Bernadotte into action, he haughtily replied:\n\n\"Do you forget that I am Prince of Sweden and one of the greatest\ngenerals of the age?\"\n\nBernadotte was considering the uplifting of his new kingdom rather than\nthe overthrow of his old master. He was saving his army for the campaign\nhe proposed against Denmark. Of this campaign we need only say that it\nended in the acquisition of Norway. The Danes were beaten and their king\ndisheartened, and in the peace of 1814 he ceded Norway to Sweden,\nreceiving Swedish Pomerania in exchange.\n\nFor centuries Sweden had sought to absorb Norway, and now, by the action\nof this crown prince from a foreign land, the result seemed achieved. But\nthe brave Norwegians themselves remained to be dealt with. They did not\npropose, if they could avoid it, to be forced into vassalage to the\nSwedes. A party arose in favor of the independence of Norway, a\ngovernment was formed, and their Danish governor, Prince Christian\nFrederick, was elected king of Norway.\n\nIt was a hasty act, which could not be sustained against the trained army\nof Sweden. Norway was poor, her population small, her defences out of\norder, her army made up of raw recruits under untried officers, yet the\nold viking blood flowed in the veins of the people and they were bent on\nstriking for their freedom.\n\nBernadotte returned to Sweden in the summer of 1814 and at once led his\narmy into Norway. Little fighting took place, the Swedish crown prince\nshowing himself favorably disposed, and peace and union finally came,\nCharles XIII. of Sweden being elected king of Norway. Yet it was not as a\nsubject nation, but as an independent and equal kingdom that Norway\nentered this union. All her old rights and privileges were retained and\nthe government remained free from any interference on the part of Sweden.\n\nIt was to the wisdom of Bernadotte that this result was due. An enforced\nunion, he knew, would yield only hatred and bitterness, and to drive a\nbrave people to the verge of despair was not the way to bring them into\nthe position of satisfied subjects. Norway remained as free as ever in\nher history, dwelling side by side with Sweden, with one king over both\ncountries.\n\nIn 1818 the weak Charles XIII. died and the strong Bernadotte, or Charles\nJohn, ascended the throne as Charles XIV. The remainder of his reign was\none of peace and growing prosperity, and when he died in 1844, leaving\nthe throne to his son Oscar, the grateful people of Sweden felt that they\nowed much to their soldier king.\n\n\n\n\n_THE DISMEMBERMENT OF DENMARK._\n\n\nThe time once was when, as we have seen, all Scandinavia, and England\nalso, were governed by Danish kings, and Denmark was one of the great\npowers of Europe. Since that proud time the power of the Danish throne\nhas steadily declined, until now it is but the shadow of its former self.\n\nA great blow came in 1814, when it was forced to yield Norway to Sweden.\nAll its possessions on the Baltic had vanished and its dominion was\ncompressed into the Danish peninsula and its neighboring islands, with\nthe exception of the duchies of Holstein and Lauenburg lying south of the\npeninsula. The time was near at hand when it was to lose these and more\nand be reduced to a mere fragment of its once great realm.\n\nThe new trouble began in 1848, when the French revolution of that date\nstirred up all the peoples of Europe to fresh demands. North of Holstein\nlay the duchy of Sleswick, occupying the southern half of the peninsula,\nits inhabitants, like those of Holstein, being nearly all Germans. These\nduchies had long chafed under Danish rule, though for centuries they had\nformed part of Denmark, and now they made an eager demand for union with\nwhat they termed their true \"Fatherland.\"\n\nA new king, Frederick VII., ascended the Danish throne in January, 1848.\nIn February the French revolution broke out. Almost instantly the duchies\nwere in a blaze of revolt, and on the 23d of April a Danish army of\neleven thousand men met one of nearly three times its strength, composed\nof the insurgents and German allies, and was defeated after a hard fight\nand forced to take refuge on the little island Als, where it was\nprotected by Danish ships of war.\n\nThis was the beginning of a struggle that continued at intervals for\nnearly three years, the great powers occasionally intervening and\nbringing about a truce. In 1849, the Danes gained some important\nsuccesses, followed by a second truce. The most severe battle was that of\nJuly 24, 1850, when a Danish army nearly forty thousand strong attacked\nthe insurgents and battle went on amid mist and rain for two days, ending\nin the triumph of the Danes.\n\nNew successes were gained in September, Sleswick being fully occupied and\nHolstein invaded, when a strong Austrian army marched into the latter\nprovince and again the war was brought to an end. Sleswick was left under\nthe Danish king, but a joint commission of Danes, Austrians, and\nPrussians was formed to govern Holstein until its relations to Denmark\ncould be determined.\n\nFor the thirteen years following all remained at rest. But in that year\nKing Frederick VII. of Denmark died and immediately the eldest son of the\nDuke of Augustenburg, who claimed the duchies, hastened into them and\nproclaimed himself as ruler, under the title of Duke Frederick VIII., of\nthe united and independent province of Sleswick-Holstein.\n\n[Illustration: Reproduced by permission of the Philadelphia Museum. THE\nBOURSE, COPENHAGEN. DENMARK.]\n\nThis impulsive act led to most important\nresults. All the German powers to the south, large and small alike,\nsupported the pretensions of the self-styled Frederick VIII., and before\nthe end of the year Austrian and Prussian armies entered the province,\nwhich they proposed to hold until the claims of the house of Augustenburg\nshould be definitely settled.\n\nThis threw Denmark into a difficult position. If she wished to avoid\ndismemberment she must fight, and to fight against these two great powers\nseemed madness. Yet Prussia and Austria pressed one condition after\nanother upon her, each more galling than the last. England, however,\noffered herself as umpire between the parties, strongly favoring Denmark.\nIn consequence, fully expecting aid from England, a Danish army of forty\nthousand men crossed the border and attacked the Prussians.\n\nBut England sent no aid and the Danes were forced to retreat and once\nmore take refuge upon Als Island. As England showed no intention of\nhelping them with armed assistance, despair followed the patriotic effort\nof the Danes, who were left single-handed to oppose their powerful foes.\nYet in spite of their greatly inferior power they made a gallant defence,\ntheir courage and endurance winning the sympathy of those who looked on.\n\nYet to struggle against such fearful odds was hopeless. The Prussians\noccupied one strong point after another until they had penetrated to the\nmost northerly point of the peninsula. Then, to save his kingdom from\nutter destruction, Christian IX. gave way and accepted the terms offered\nhim, agreeing to renounce all claims on the duchies of Sleswick-Holstein\nand Lauenburg and to abide by the decision of Prussia and Austria as to\nthe future fate of these provinces.\n\nThus were the weak dealt with by the strong, in the rude old fashion, and\nof its once proud dominion Denmark was left only the northern half of the\npeninsula, consisting of Jutland and its neighboring islands, a pocket\nkingdom of some 15,000 square miles extent in lieu of its once great and\nproud dominion.\n\nYet it was not without satisfaction that the despoiled Danes looked on\nwhen their two powerful enemies, quarreling over the division of the\nspoils, sprang at one another's throats like two dogs snarling over a\nbone, a great war arising between Austria and Prussia over this question,\nat a cost far greater than the value of the provinces fought for.\n\nPrussia being the victor, the rights of Denmark and the claims of the\nDuke of Augustenburg alike were quietly laid aside and the matter settled\nby the absorption of the provinces into the German empire, Denmark being\nleft to thank God that Bismarck did not decide to take the rest.\n\n\n\n\n_BREAKING THE BOND BETWEEN NORWAY AND SWEDEN._\n\n\nIn the year 1388 the people of Norway chose the great Queen Margaret of\nDenmark for their ruler, and from that date until 1905, more than five\nhundred years later, the realm of the Norsemen continued out of existence\nas a separate kingdom, it remaining attached to Denmark until 1814, when\nit came under the rule of the king of Sweden. In 1905 Norway broke these\nbonds and for the first time for centuries stood out alone as a fully\nseparate realm. With a description of this peaceful revolution we may\nfitly close our sketches of the Scandinavian countries.\n\nDuring these centuries of union ill feeling frequently arose between the\nnations involved. Though the union with Denmark had been on terms of\nequality, the Danes in later years often acted towards Norway as though\nit were a subject country, at times creating great irritation in the\nproud sons of the sea-kings. It was the same with the Swedish union, the\nSwedes at times acting towards Norway as though it were a conquered\ncountry, won by the sword of Prince Bernadotte and subject to their will.\n\nThis was a false view of the relations of the two countries. The act of\n1815 states that \"The union is not a result of warfare but of free\nconvention, and shall be maintained by a clear acknowledgment of the\nlegal rights of the nations in protection of their mutual thrones.\" It\nfurther states that \"Norway is a free, independent, indivisible, and\ninalienable kingdom, united with Sweden under one king.\"\n\nThis must be kept in mind in considering the recent events. Norway was in\nno sense subject to Sweden, but had simply accepted the king of Sweden as\nits monarch. They were not one nation, but two nations under one king,\nbeing otherwise independent in every respect, each with its own\nconstitution, its own parliament, and its own laws.\n\nIn fact, Norway has had a constitution since 1818, granted by Bernadotte\nwhen he came to the throne, while Sweden was not granted one until over\nforty years later. And while the constitution of Norway makes it the most\ndemocratic monarchy in Europe, that of Sweden gives much greater power to\nthe throne. Thus the people of Norway for many years had reason to be\nwell content with the situation, though they jealously kept watch over\nthe preservation of their rights, and at times radical parties promoted\nan irritation that might have led to blows had it been sustained by the\npeople at large.\n\nThe difficulty that led to their final separation was a commercial one.\nNorway has always been a country with the sea for its province, rugged\nand unproductive as compared with Sweden, but with a long sea-coast\ninviting maritime pursuits. As a result, during the century its commerce\ngrew much more rapidly than that of Sweden and it ended the century with\na shipping three times as great. Its commercial interests thus made\nfree-trade the economic doctrine of Norway, while protection became that\nof Sweden, and this was the wedge that in time forced the two countries\nasunder.\n\nIn 1885 began the disagreement which led to separation twenty years\nlater. In that year the king made the minister of foreign affairs\nresponsible to the Swedish parliament, thus depriving Norway, as she\nclaimed, of any important influence in foreign politics. Negotiations\nfollowed, but Sweden resisted, and irritation arose. Finally the question\nof a Norwegian minister of foreign affairs was dropped and only that of\nthe right to a separate system of foreign consuls remained.\n\nLet us now very briefly epitomize the course of events. In 1891 Norway\nestablished a consular commission and made a strong demand for separate\nconsuls to represent her interests in foreign ports. Violent quarrels\nwith Sweden followed, but no agreement was reached. In 1898 the question\nbecame serious again, but still there was no agreement, and the same was\nthe case when it came up once more in 1901.\n\nA new consular commission was appointed in 1902, its report favoring the\ndemands of Norway, and finally, in 1903, King Oscar gave his sanction to\nan agreement for separate consuls. But the king's voice did not settle\nthe question; it came before parliament, and after long consideration a\ndecision was reached which avoided the point in dispute and announced\nprinciples which were declared in Norway to be in violation of its\nconstitution and at variance with the king's sanction of 1903.\n\nThis ended the negotiations. The incensed Norwegian legislators appointed\na new cabinet to carry out the wishes of the people and a consular\nservice law was passed. Events now proceeded rapidly. In February, 1905,\nKing Oscar retired from active government on account of age and ill\nhealth, Crown Prince Gustavus being appointed temporary regent. On\nconsidering the subject he dissented from his father's opinion and\noffered the following proposition for a settlement of the question at\nissue: first, a common minister of foreign affairs; second, a separate\nconsular service for each country, the consuls to be under the direction\nof the one foreign minister. This proposition was voted on favorably by\nthe Swedish parliament and the main point in dispute seemed settled.\n\nBut on May 27 King Oscar returned to the throne and immediately\nrepudiated this action of his son and the parliament, vetoed the law for\nseparate consuls passed in Norway, and when the cabinet of that country\nresigned in a body refused to accept their resignation.\n\nThe crisis was now reached. A general wave of indignation swept through\nthe realm of Norway. The feeling of the people was shared by their\nlegislators. Norway's only connection with Sweden was that they had the\nsame king--but the Norwegians had no use for a king that would place the\ninterests of one country in precedence of those of another. The decisive\nmove was made on June 7, when the Storthing--the parliament of\nNorway--announced itself as no longer in union with Sweden or under the\nrule of King Oscar, declaring that he had admitted that he was unable to\ngovern Norway according to its constitution and therefore had ceased to\nrule as its king. The union flag was lowered from the government fortress\nin Christiania, where it had floated since 1814.\n\nIn its address to the king the Storthing said that \"the course of events\nhas proved more powerful than the desire or will of individuals,\" but to\nshow that good feeling existed towards Sweden, the king was requested to\nname a prince of his own house for the throne of Norway, who was to\nrelinquish his right of succession to the Swedish throne.\n\nThe die was cast. Would war result? Would Oscar seek to force Norway back\ninto the Union as Bernadotte had done in 1814, when it rebelled and chose\na king of its own? The occasion seemed critical. Oscar refused to\nabdicate, there was much talk of war, the Swedish Ricksdag--or\nparliament--disapproved of letting Norway depart in peace. If war had\nbeen declared the hope of Norway sustaining her independence was very\ndoubtful, as her population was only half that of Sweden and her army\nand navy much weaker. Yet there was sufficient doubt of the outcome to\nmake all men hesitate.\n\nMany of the leading men of Sweden disapproved of the idea of war,\nthinking that hostilities were not called for and that Sweden's stake in\nthe question was not sufficient to justify the attempt to hold Norway by\nforce. A significant event at this juncture was the declaration of the\npowerful Socialist party in Sweden that they would not bear arms against\ntheir brethren in Norway. In this the Socialists made the first\ninternational declaration of their opposition to war.\n\nAs the weeks passed on the war feeling cooled. Oscar withdrew his refusal\nto abdicate, and said: \"Of little use would the Union be if Norway had to\nbe forced into it.\" As regards the feeling of the people of Norway\nregarding separation, it was decisively shown on August 13, when a vote\nwas taken upon the question. It resulted in 368,200 votes in favor of to\n184 against dissolution of the union.\n\nThe chief question to be settled was that of the abolition of the\nfrontier fortresses, of which Norway had a number on the border while\nSweden had none. Norway held on to hers mainly from patriotic reasons, as\nseveral of them were of very ancient date and had great historic\ninterest. The difficulty was finally settled by an agreement to dismantle\nthe new portions and let the ancient ones remain.\n\nThe final treaty of separation, as approved on September 23, 1905,\ncovered the following points: 1st. There was to be arbitration of all\nquestions arising between the two countries. 2d. A neutral zone was to be\nestablished and all forts within this zone to be destroyed or made\nuseless for war purposes. 3d. The grazing rights of Swedish Laplanders in\nNorway were to be maintained. 4th. The laws of each country were to apply\nto the portion of waterways crossing each. 5th. No obstacle was to be\nplaced on the commerce between the two countries.\n\nThe question of the form of government of the new nation had before this\narisen. The request to King Oscar for a descendant of his house had been\nat first refused. He subsequently reconsidered it and was willing to let\nhis son Charles fill the vacant throne, but meanwhile it had been offered\nto Prince Charles of Denmark and accepted by him. The offer of the throne\nby the Storthing needed in democratic Norway to be confirmed by a vote of\nthe people, and one was taken in October. The sentiment for a republic in\nNorway was supposed to be very strong, but the election resulted in a\nvote of four to one for a kingdom against a republic, and Charles of\nDenmark, grandson of King Christian, was formally chosen for the reigning\nmonarch of the new kingdom. In compliment to the nation he chose for\nhimself the national title of Haakon VII. and conferred on his son and\nheir the Norwegian name of Olaf.\n\nFormal offer of the throne was made to the new king at Copenhagen on\nNovember 20 by a deputation from the Norwegian parliament, King Christian\naccepting it for his grandson, and saying:\n\n\"The young king does not come as a stranger to Norway, for he claims\nrelationship to former Norwegian kings. Nor will the kingdom of Norway be\nstrange to him, for everywhere in the land common recollections of the\nhistory of the kingdom and the history of his race will meet him.\"\n\nOn the 25th of November the new monarch, with his wife, daughter of King\nEdward of England, made his formal entrance to Christiania, the capital\nof his new realm, where he was received with the highest demonstrations\nof joy. On their voyage from Copenhagen the royal pair were escorted by\nNorwegian, Danish, British, and German warships, while in their new realm\nelaborate preparations had been made for their fitting reception.\n\nAt noon on November 27 Prince Charles was formally inaugurated king, as\nHaakon VII., before a distinguished assembly consisting of the highest\nstate dignitaries, the diplomatic corps in full costume, and a brilliant\nconcourse of men in uniform and women in court toilets. Entering the\nrichly decorated Parliament house, surrounded by their suites, the king\nascended the throne, the queen taking a seat by his side.\n\nThe ceremonies were brief, consisting of the king's taking the oath to\nsupport the constitution of Norway, and pledging himself in a brief\nspeech \"to exert all his will and strength to serve the Fatherland and\npromote its peace and happiness.\" An interesting feature of the ceremony\nwas a despatch of congratulation from Oscar, late king of Norway, in\nwhich he said: \"I beg that you be persuaded that every effort looking\ntowards good relations between our two countries will be given a\nsympathetic reception on my part.\"\n\nThus, after for five hundred and seventeen years standing empty, the\nthrone of Norway was filled with a king of its own, and that old land,\nonce more single and separate, swung back into the tide of the nations.","title":"Historic Tales: The Romance of Reality. Vol. 09 (of 15), Scandinavian","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":91043}